The Naked truth
by Eastendersfan444
Summary: Sometimes, getting naked is about more than taking off your clothes….
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue.**

The Walford Community Centre had been decorated to the fullest. There were pink and purple metallic balloons and white festooned around the room and pink streamers hanging from the ceiling and walls. White and purple banners, with jet black writing hung over doors announcing the reason for the party to everyone in attendance. As if they didn't know the reason anyway, why else would they be there if they didn't? It was a hen party, her hen party to be exact. A party she didn't even want, a party she didn't ask for and a party she certainly hadn't wanted to attend. She sighed as she looked around at the party goers, they all seemed to be having a good time. Everyone but her that was. This wasn't what she wanted, she'd been tricked into coming. She remembered the sympathetic, almost apologetic smile from her mother as she'd walked into the room. She was here now and there was nothing she could do about it, much as she'd like to. Her eyes darted to the exit, not for the first time since she'd arrived, she wished she could just leave but her two best friends were lingering near the door, no doubt knowing that she'd hate this and make a bid for freedom. She scowled at them both, sometimes she really hated her best friends – not sure they really knew her at all. Why would they throw her a party like this? This was the kind of party that she hated.

The Hen party was in full swing. The best friends of the bride had pulled out all the stops and then some. They'd been keeping their eyes on the bride and could see she wasn't having as a good a time as they'd hoped she would be. In fact the bride seemed to be checking her watch every few minutes and then looking towards the exit, as if there was somewhere else she would rather be. Deciding to ramp things up and draw the brides attention back to the party the brunette leant over and whispered something to her blonde haired friend. A grin spread across her face and she ran towards the makeshift bar in the corner of the room and whispered into the blonde woman's ear who stood behind it. The brunette moved to the stage of sorts and disappeared behind the red curtain they'd put up.

The bride saw her escape route was clear, now was her chance to get out of there. She quickly swallowed the last mouthful of her wine and casually walked towards the exit, hoping she wouldn't be seen making her escape. She was almost free, her hand gripping the door handle tightly and she tugged on it, pulling it open. Suddenly a voice came over the PA system and Lauren stopped in her tracks as she was suddenly circled by a bright spotlight. 'Everyone, can I have your attention please? I'm Lucy Beale, best friend of the blushing bride to be. I'd like to welcome you all to a very special edition of Mr and Mrs' she announced. The curtains at the back of the stage were pulled back and a cinema screen was revealed. 'Can you please all take your seats, and if we can have the bride to be right up here at the front of the stage please' Lucy said looking directly at the bride who had frozen to the spot at the door as soon as the spotlight had settled on her. A large throne like chair was carried on by some very muscly and good looking men and the bride made her way to the stage, albeit reluctantly, a fake smile plastered onto her face as she internally counted to a thousand. Reaching the stage she climbed the three small steps before walking the short distance to the chair and taking a seat. 'Now, we asked Lauren's gorgeous fiancé, Stuart, some personal and intimate questions about Lauren that only a fiancé should know the answers to. Tonight we're going to ask Lauren the same questions and see just how well she knows her fiancé and how well he knows her' she paused and Whitney came onto the stage and handed Lucy an envelope. 'Now, Lauren, are you ready for the first question?' Lucy looked at Lauren and she nodded her head, while mentally screaming NO! Lucy smiled 'we asked Stuart to tell us what he thought was your favourite part of his body' she said. The group of hens jeered and cackled 'what do you think he said?' Lucy looked at Lauren expectantly.

Lauren didn't need to think about the answer to this question, it was easy 'his eyes' Lauren said softly.

'Good answer, now let's see what Stuart said' Lucy turned to look at the screen as a video of Stuart appeared.

'What's Lauren's favourite part of my body?' he said 'mmm…that's easy….it's my back' he said with confidence.

'Oh no, that's an incorrect answer given by Laurent!' Lucy said sounding as disappointed as Lauren felt. Lucy turned back to the sheet of paper and she read the next question quickly 'moving onto the next question, we asked Stuart what he thought you were most proud of'

'Oh that's easy' Lauren said to her 'Graduating from Art School with Honours' she replied quickly.

'Okay. Good, you know the drill now, let's see what Stuart said' Lucy turned to the screen once more and again Stuart appeared. Lauren looked at him and waited for his answer, still slightly tense.

'Lauren is most proud of…oh this is a hard one' Stuart frowned for a few seconds and then his face lit up 'she's proud of passing her driving test first time' Lauren sank down in the chair a little bit, closing her eyes as she provided another wrong answer…or was it Stuart that gave the wrong answer, she frowned as she thought about it. She felt even worse than she had before the game started.

'I'm sorry that's not the answer that Stuart gave' Lucy announced 'so let's get straight onto the next question. We asked Stuart what makes you cry' she said 'Lauren, what did Stuart say?' Lucy looked at her.

This was one that Lauren was certain Stuart would give the same answer that she did. It was something that Stuart found amusing and annoying in equal measures. 'Soppy movies' Lauren answered.

'Soppy movies hey, well let's ask Stuart?'

'Lauren cries at soppy movies' Stuart said, causing the crowd in the club to clap and cheer. Lauren was starting to hate this game and wished it was over so she could go outside and take a walk, clear her head a little. She wondered how many of these questions she had to answer before the torture was over.

'Okay, next question' Lucy said 'Lauren, we asked Stuart what your worst habit is, what do you think he said?'

Lauren knew he commented often about one personal habit she had that he despised, in fact they'd had a few heated arguments about it. Sometimes Lauren did it on purpose just to piss him off. She smiled to herself 'leaving the top off the toothpaste' she said confidently.

'And we'll see what Stuart says' Lucy said.

'Worst habit?' Stuart said, seeming to mull over the question. 'Mmm…that's another difficult one' he said 'Lauren has a lot of bad habits…' he mused 'Mmm, I would guess… out of all of her bad habits… I would have to pick…the way she mutters under her breath when she doesn't agree with something I've said'

Lauren wished a hole in the ground would open up and swallow her. So far she wasn't doing too well and Stuart was managing to make her look like the worst girlfriend in the world. Lucy turned back to the audience 'Okay so we've asked both Lauren and Stuart four questions about Lauren and they have both only answered one correctly. 'So it's time for another four questions' Lauren sighed, wished she'd had the foresight to bring over a drink with her so she could at least be numbing the humiliation she felt with alcohol. 'Are you ready for another four questions?' Lucy asked her, feeling embarrassed for Lauren, this game wasn't going as well as she thought it would for her best friend.

'Bring it on' Lauren said forcing a fake smile on her face once more.

'Okay. We asked Stuart what was his favourite part of your body' Lucy said. 'What do you think he said?' Lauren thought for a while he'd always said he liked her lips so she guessed that.

'My lips?' Lauren asked, not sounding in the least bit confident with her answer.

'You said your lips, let's see what Stuart's answer was' Lucy said turning to the screen, but not before shooting a look at Whitney who shook her head.

'My favourite part of Lauren's body is the back of her knees' Stuart said.

Lauren frowned as she heard his answer, 'Where the hell was he getting these answers from? Just plucking them out of thin air? Was he being deliberately stupid? Was he even talking about Lauren? Never once in the three years she and Stuart had been together had he mentioned liking the back of her knees. Who the fuck liked the back of someone's knees? She felt her face flushing with humiliation and embarrassment as Lucy turned to look at her with a sympathetic smile on her face.

'Nope, not right. Let's move onto the next question. Lauren, what do you think Stuart is most proud of?' Lucy asked looking at her friend, she put her hand on her shoulder and gave it a sympathetic squeeze.

'I'd have to say his career' Lauren said softly.

'Okay let's get Stuart's answer' Lucy said, catching Whitney's eye as she turned to look at the screen again. The brunette girl shook her head again and Lucy's heart fell.

'I'm most proud of my car' Stuart said 'I built her up from scrap into the thing of beauty she is today' he beamed proudly at the camera.

Lauren's mother looked at her and she felt her heart breaking for her daughter up on the stage. She knew she'd be hating every single part of this and she'd told Lucy as such when she'd come to her with this idea for the hen party. But Lucy wouldn't be dissuaded and said she'd go ahead with the game with or without Lauren's mother's help. So she'd done it without her help. Tanya not wanting to have anything to do with it. She'd wished she'd been able to shut it down completely.

'Another incorrect answer' Lucy said 'Two more questions to go' Lucy said 'We asked Stuart what makes him cry, what was his answer?'

Lauren couldn't remember the last time Stuart cried. She couldn't remember ever seeing him cry. She sighed 'When his football team loses a match' she said, giving up all hope of getting any of the answers right now. All this game was showing her was how little she knew her fiancé, the man she was planning to marry and spend the rest of her life with. Apparently it was also showing her how little he knew her.

'And Stuart said?' Lucy said this time not turning round to the screen.

'I don't cry. Men don't cry' Stuart announced.

Lauren closed her eyes and Lucy took a long deep breath 'and Lauren, the final question is, we asked Stuart what his worst habit is, what did he say?'

Lauren hated to think what Stuart's answer would be, so instead she plumped for his most annoying habit, one that pushed all her buttons and one she had yelled at him about on numerous occasions. 'He never puts the toilet seat down' Lauren told them.

'And let's see what Stuart's answer was to the final question' Lucy said.

'Bad habit? I don't have any bad habits' Stuart said with a grin. The screen went dark and a hush fell over the club. Each one of Lauren's friends and family felt awful for her sitting on the stage having to go through that.

'Well, let's get some more drinks shall we?' Lucy announced trying to sound cheerful and failing miserably.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After the total and utter debacle of Mr and Mrs, Lauren was now sitting outside on the steps of the club. She and Stuart had only got one question right out of 8. To say she was feeling embarrassed was an understatement. They should've at least got more than one right. She'd voiced her concerns to Lucy and Whitney after the quiz and they'd both shrugged it off saying it was just a little bit of fun and nothing more, telling Lauren she shouldn't read anything more into it. But reading into it was what Lauren was currently doing…did Stuart really know so little about her? Did she know so little about him? This was the man she was planning to marry in three days. A man she was going to vow to spend the rest of her life with. A man who clearly knew nothing about Lauren as a person. And what she thought she knew about him she was now doubting as a result of his answers to those stupid fucking questions. Maybe she was getting cold feet, last minute pre wedding jitters. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, a feeling that she'd be making a big mistake if she went ahead and married Stuart. She'd been thrilled when he'd proposed to her, she glanced down at the large diamond ring on her left hand. He'd seemed pleased with his purchase when he gave it to, and whilst Lauren had smiled and told him it was beautiful and exactly what she'd hoped for, she thought it was ostentatious and too big. Maybe she should've taken that as a sign she was making a mistake.

She licked her lips and sighed, closing her eyes and covering her face with her hands. She needed to call off the wedding. She couldn't go through with this. Marrying Stuart wasn't what she wanted. He had only proposed to her eight months ago. Their parents had railroaded them into setting a date and she had said the first date that came into her head… now suddenly it was almost here and she wasn't ready. The ring was beginning to feel like a noose around her finger…tightening more with each passing hour. She loved Stuart. At least she thought she did. Now she wasn't so sure. It wasn't exactly what she thought love would feel like. But then again, maybe this _was_ what being in love felt like. It wasn't as though there was a rule book anywhere telling how she should feel. She let her hands drop from her face and she took a deep breath and stood up, heading back inside the club. She had a difficult decision to make and for that she needed some vodka.

Just as she was about to go inside she heard the first few bars of You Can Keep Your Hat On and she knew Lucy had booked strippers despite Lauren's specifically saying she thought strippers were tacky and tasteless and she had no desire for a perfect stranger to be bumping and grinding on her lap or shaking their "business" in her face. She knew Stuart had gone to Monte Carlo for his stag do whilst she was stuck in dreary old Walford, which meant she could go to the Vic without worrying she was going to bump into the stag party.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked into the Vic and saw her dad and Uncle Jack propping up the bar right in front of her. She walked over to them both. 'Can you buy me a drink, please' she asked her father.

'What are you doing here? You should be at your hen party' he said surprised to see her.

'Yeah? Well, the hen party sucks' Lauren said to him as he gestured for Alfie to come over.

'Vodka and coke please' he said glancing at Lauren and she nodded her head.

'Make it a double, please' Lauren added quickly.

'It can't be as bad as that' Jack said with an amused smile, turning sideways so he could look at his niece.

'It was worse. She arranged strippers' Lauren said with a frown 'and she knows that I hate them' she explained 'oh! But you haven't even heard the best bit yet….'

'You better come and sit down and tell us all about it' Max said, handing Lauren her drink and putting his arm around her, leading her over to a table.

Despite the talk with her father and Uncle and the disastrous hen party games, the wedding was still on. Lauren had convinced herself she'd just had cold feet, which was usual for brides to be before the wedding. She was convinced that she and Stuart knew each other better than she thought they did. It was just a stupid hen party game after all, what could a game really tell her about her future?

 **AN: Well, there it is the first chapter of my new story which had taken me a long time to write and to get right. I hope you like it. Leave me a review…back tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

The day of the wedding arrived and Lauren was dressed, her hair and make-up had been done and she was ready to go. Her mother, sister and bridesmaid Lucy had already left and were on their way to the church, but Lauren just needed a minute or two to compose herself before she went downstairs to get into the car. She was feeling very nervous. Distracting herself from her feelings, she did a quick mental check to make sure she'd packed everything she'd need for her honeymoon. The cases were already safely stored in the boot of the car her father was driving her to the church in. She'd decided against a big fancy car with a driver to take her to the church. She'd just wanted it to be her and her dad.

Lauren heard the front door close and a few minutes later her father called up the stairs. 'Lauren, it's time we made a move, honey'

Letting out a sigh, Lauren exited her bedroom and walked down the stairs. Max looked up at her and smiled. 'You look beautiful' he told her, pulling her into a hug.

'Thank you' she replied, she glanced down at her plain white dress. 'Mum hates it' she said looking up at her dad. 'She's says it's too plain and drab, not very bride like'

'I heard' Max nodded his head 'ignore her, you know what she's like' he told her softly.

'Yeah, I know…but I wanted mum to like my dress' she said.

'All that matters is that you like the dress' Max said to her and then he frowned 'Do you like the dress?'

'Stuart will' she said avoiding the question 'you know Stuart hates anything fussy' she told her father.

'Are you sure this is what you want?' he asked Lauren.

'What?' Lauren asked him with a frown 'it's a little late in the day to find a new dress, dad' she misunderstood what he was asking her.

'Not the dress, sweetheart, I meant marrying Stuart' he said in clarification and Lauren took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

'Yes' she nodded her head. 'I'm sure' she said. Her voice didn't sound in the least bit convincing to her, she wondered how it sounded to her father.

'Okay then, we'd better go' he said with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

As they drove towards the church, Lauren got more and more nervous. Her cold feet came back in leaps and bounds, she felt as though she had large ice cubes surrounding the expensive and uncomfortable shoes she was wearing…giving her frostbite. 'Should…should I be this nervous?' Lauren asked her dad. He glanced at her and saw how pale and clammy she looked. 'I mean… I know I'm supposed to be nervous on my wedding day, but am I supposed to feel this way?' she asked him.

'What way?' Max asked, glancing at her with a frown.

'I feel terrible and nauseous' she told him 'I feel like I'm about to marched in front of a firing squad' she told him.

'No, honey. You're not supposed to feel like that' he told her, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'What do you want to do?' he asked her. He licked his lips as he waited for her answer.

'I don't know' she said, nibbling on her fingernails.

'Well, you don't have long to figure it out. We're here' Max said as he pulled the car into the drive at the church. He turned off the engine and looked at his daughter. 'What do you want to do?' he asked her again.

'I don't know, dad' Lauren snapped at him. She turned to look at him and sighed 'sorry' she said softly.

'Do you love him?' he asked her.

'I like him… a lot' Lauren said 'He's a solid guy' she told him 'he has a good job and we have a beautiful flat, I don't want for anything'

'Do you want to get married?' Max turned to look at her.

'Yes' Lauren nodded her head. 'What girl doesn't?' she asked him.

Max licked his lips and rephrased the question. 'Do you want to marry Stuart?'

'No' Lauren shook her head and she closed her eyes 'God, no' she told her father honestly.

'Okay' Max said, he took the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. He walked round to Lauren's side and opened the car door and crouched down beside her. 'The tank is full. Your suitcases are in the boot and here's some money' he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a thick white envelope, placing it on her lap.

'Where am I supposed to go?' Lauren looked at him with a worried gaze.

'I hear Hawaii is pretty nice this time of year' he said pulling out another envelope and placing it on top of the other one in her lap.

'The honeymoon tickets?'

'Yes, Stuart asked me to hold onto them in case he lost them or forgot them' he said. He stood up, turned to Lucy and waved her over. 'I'll give you a half hour head start before I go inside and break the news to everyone inside the church that the wedding is off' he told her.

'You'd do that?' she asked him in a small voice.

'Of course I would, you're my baby girl and I would do anything to see you happy. And if I thought walking you down the aisle and watching you get married to Stuart would make you happy then that's what I'd be doing right now, but it isn't' he told her 'A girl's wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of her life and yes it's natural that there would be some nerves, but when my daughter tells me that she feels like she's about to be marched in front of a firing squad then I know this marriage isn't going to make you happy. Six weeks in Hawaii, however, that is going to put a little colour back in your cheeks, give you a little perspective on things and is going to get you ready to face Stuart and tell him the reasons why you couldn't walk down the aisle today' he told her 'Now. I sort of pre-empted this might happen, so Lucy's cases are also in the back of the car. Make sure you have a good time okay?' he asked her. Lauren smiled and nodded her head as she climbed out of car. Max stood up and hugged her tightly.

'I love you, daddy' she whispered softly.

'I love you too, sweetheart. Now go' he told her.

'What about mum?' Lauren asked, peering over her father's shoulder at her mother who was looking at them both curiously.

'You leave your mother to me okay?' he asked her.

'Okay' Lauren said softly.

Max handed Lucy the car keys and she ran round to the driver's side and got into the car and started the engine. 'Go' Max told her firmly.

'Thanks daddy' Lauren said over her shoulder as she climbed back into the car. He shut the door and Lucy pulled away as Lauren was pulling her seatbelt on.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews** **Well, at least Lauren's dad was prepared for Lauren backing out of the wedding. He knows his little girl! Now she is off on her honeymoon with Lucy for six weeks of sun, sea and frivolity! Let's hope she makes use of the trip to think about what it is that she actually wants… Back tomorrow with another chapter. Leave me a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

Lauren took a deep breath as she followed Lucy to a "cute little bar" she'd found on the beach. What Lauren really wanted to do was to mooch around in her hotel room and be miserable and retrospective and try to figure out what would happen next when she got back to Walford and faced Stuart for the first time. But apparently 3 days of doing that was enough, according to Lucy anyway. Apparently, now she had to get herself up. Shower, get dressed and get her arse out of the hotel room and start living the rest of her life. Lauren was glad it was night because she hadn't bothered with any make-up and she knew she had huge bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Not only was the heat keeping her awake, but the scenarios she was running through her head of what would happen when she saw Stuart again played a huge part in her nights of insomnia. She sighed, maybe Lucy was right, maybe she did need to get out of the hotel room, see the sights a little bit. Get some air and some alcohol into her system. Maybe then she would finally be able to sleep.

'See, here it is. Right up ahead' Lucy told her, slipping her arm through Lauren's. 'There are so many nice people here'

'I doubt that' Lauren muttered under her breath.

'I can see why Stuart would find that annoying' Lucy said, she stopped walking and spun round to face her friend. 'Lauren Branning. You're going to sit at the bar and drink cocktails and you're going to at least pretend you're having a good time or I swear to God I will drag you down the beach by your hair and drown you in the sea' Lucy told her firmly.

'I just walked out of my wedding, Lucy' Lauren told her 'I jilted Stuart at the altar. Thank you for your sympathy and kind words' she grumbled as she walked beside her friend.

'Why would I give you sympathy?' Lucy raised an eyebrow to look at her. ' _You_ dumped him. He didn't dump you. If anyone deserves my sympathy, it's Stuart' Lucy said in a matter of fact tone. Lauren watched as she stomped off towards the bar.

'Why my dad thought it would be a good idea to let Lucy come with me on my non-honeymoon I have no idea' she muttered to herself before she followed her friend. 'Best friend my arse!'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

An hour later, Lauren was sitting alone at the bar. Lucy had hooked up with a guy who'd been trying to talk to Lauren but gave up when Lauren only gave him one worded answers to his questions. Yes and no. Apparently she'd say no a little too much for his liking and moved onto her friend who was only too eager to say yes. Lauren swivelled around on the stool she was sitting on and looked out at the ocean. The moon was bright and big in the sky and the light from the moon danced on the surface of the water. Lauren found the sound and smell of the ocean soothing. She decided she'd relocate a little closer, getting up with her drink she twirled the little purple umbrella that was in the glass as she walked down to the sea. She sat down a few feet away from the shoreline and watched the light of moon sparkling on the water. She took a sip of the drink and closed her eyes as she swallowed. This was quite possibly the best thing she'd ever drunk. It was delicious. She smiled, wondering if she could talk Alfie into making this for her when she got back to Walford. Her smile faded as she thought about home, she wondered what was happening there. She wondered how upset…angry… Stuart was with her and how annoyed her mother was…she sighed as the weight of the world fell back onto her shoulders.

'Excuse me' she heard a deep voice behind her, she turned to look over her shoulder and saw a pair of legs in some cotton shorts.

'No, I don't want another drink and no, I don't want to sleep with you' she said to whoever was behind her.

'That's good to know because the bar is closed and I have no desire to sleep with you either' he told her 'I just came to get the glass back'

Lauren's face flushed and she got to her feet and she turned round to look into the face of someone she found remotely familiar, she realised it was the bartender. 'Oh, sorry' she said, looking down at the glass and then at the man in front of her.

'Are you okay?' he asked her softly.

'I'm not as drunk as I'd hoped to be' she admitted.

'There's not actually a lot of alcohol in those' he said looking at the glass she was holding.

'Great' she said with a sigh. 'Perfect'

'Where's your friend?' he asked looking around for the blonde haired girl he'd seen her with earlier.

'Lucy? She's off making friends with the locals' Lauren replied 'possibly babies too' she added as an afterthought.

'Look, give me fifteen to lock up the bar properly and I'll walk you back to your hotel' he told her.

'I can walk back to my hotel by myself, thank you very much. And for the record, I plan to be very, very drunk before I even contemplate returning to the hotel…so if you would just point me to the nearest open bar that would be great' she told him a little huffily. He gazed at her a few moments and then sighed.

'Come on then' he told her and he took a deep breath 'I'll get you another drink on the house, something with a little punch in it' he told her. He turned and headed towards the bar, Lauren followed him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Half an hour later they were both sitting inside the bar. Joey, as he'd introduced himself to her once they back at the bar, had pulled down the blinds and secured them on the outside with padlocks and had fixed her a cocktail that did indeed have "a little punch in it". She now felt the alcohol running through her system and she smiled at Joey. 'I'm really sorry I was snappy with you before' she told him. 'It's just…the last few days…well months actually… maybe even the year…' she frowned thoughtfully '…haven't exactly been the best of times for me' she told him.

'So you decided to cheer yourself up and come on holiday to Hawaii?' he asked her.

'Something like that yeah' she nodded her head.

'With your friend…Lacey?' he asked tentatively, wondering if he'd got her friend's name right.

'Lucy' she corrected 'yeah, something like that… although as chief cheerer upper…she kind of sucks' Lauren told him taking another sip of her luscious cocktail. 'You've done a better job of it in the last half an hour than she has in the last three days'

'You've been here for three days? I haven't seen you at the bar with your friend' Joey asked, the surprise clearly evident in his voice.

Lauren nodded her head 'I was more than happy to mooch and feel sorry for myself and be a self-centred bitch in my hotel room' she told him. 'But according to Lucy, three days was enough and she dragged me out of the room down to this bar, where she claimed we would "have fun"' Lauren said doing little air quotes with her fingers.

'And then she abandoned you?' Joey asked her with a frown.

'Mmhmm' Lauren said taking another mouthful of drink. 'That's Lucy's M.O' she told him 'especially if there's a cute guy she can go and shag'

'Some best friend she is' Joey said.

'Oh, believe me, you don't know the half of it' she told him. 'There are so many stories I could tell you about Lucy Beale that would make your hair curl'

Joey smiled 'Well, in that case, how about I make you another one of those and you can tell me all about it?' Joey suggested, standing up and taking the glass from her.

Lauren smiled as she watched him fixing her drink. Lucy was right. It was good to get out of the hotel room.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews. Well, looks like after three days of feeling sorry for herself, Lauren has decided to go outside the hotel…okay her hand was forced by Lucy, but it looks as though that might not have been a bad thing right? Back tomorrow with another chapter… Leave me a review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Another hour passed and Lauren drained her fourth glass and put it down on the bar with a soft thud 'I think I may be immune to alcohol' she told Joey with a sad sigh.

'I think you might be too' Joey nodded his head in agreement, 'by all accounts you should be out cold on the floor by now' he admitted 'those things are pretty potent…'

Lauren pouted and then her face brightened as a thought occurred to her 'Or…you are just a crappy barman' she told him.

Joey looked at her, a mock shocked look crossed his face and then he laughed 'Hey! I'll have you know I've been working in this bar for over a year' he told her 'and I'm very good at my job and I've never had any complaints'

'If you say you…wait how does that phrase go? The customer is always right' she asked him cheekily.

'Usually yeah. But not in your case' he told her and he stood up. 'At this point of the evening I am cutting you off and I think I should walk you home' he told her softly.

'Home is a long way away' Lauren said as she slid off her chair and followed him to the door 'It'll take you days…weeks even, you'd be really tired…oh! How will we cross the sea?' she asked, turning her head to look at him expectantly.

Joey rolled his eyes 'back to your hotel room then, you knew what I meant. You are such a smart arse...has anyone ever told you that?'

'Once or twice' she said to him and she grinned at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey locked the door to his bar and the two of them headed along the beach. 'What hotel are you staying at?' he asked her.

'The Four Season's Resort' she told him.

'Wow…Five Star Hotel' he said with a whistle 'Pretty expensive'

'Nothing but the best' she murmured under her breath as they walked, Joey glanced at her and saw that she seemed to have fallen back under the cloud of sadness she'd been under when she first arrived at his bar, he frowned wondering what had happened to her to make her this sad.

'So…you've told me stories about your best friend Lucy, who doesn't actually sound much like a best friend to me, with friends like her you certainly don't need enemies' he said 'you've told me about your parents and sister and your career...and all about you up to a certain point in your life…and don't take this the wrong way, I've been very interested in hearing your life story. The story you told me about how you hid crayons up your nose so other children in your play group couldn't use them was…insightful' he said 'and also pretty gross' he added with a laugh 'remind me not to leave any pens lying about when you're around' he glanced at her and saw she was laughing, he smiled, glad he'd managed to put a smile back on her face 'but what I don't know or understand is why you've been on the beautiful Island of Hawaii for 3 days and have been hiding away in your hotel room' he said to her. Glancing at her again he saw the smile disappear off her face.

'This isn't exactly supposed to be a holiday for the girls' Lauren said to him softly.

'I figured as much' he said to her, she looked at him in surprise 'Turkey, Spain and Majorca. Those are holiday destinations for the girls' he told her 'Hawaii…not so much' he said. He glanced up and saw her hotel up ahead. 'Look, if you want to talk about it, I'm a pretty good listener' he told her. 'Your hotel is just up there' he nodded his head 'we could go for a walk along the beach' he suggested.

'It's late' she said softly.

'It's not that late and my job isn't exactly 9 to 5 is it?' he said 'besides I'm not really feeling all that tired and I'm betting the last thing you want to do is to go back to the hotel room alone' he said to her. 'Am I right?'

She nodded her head 'I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than babysit a sad pathetic girl who seems to have lost the ability to get drunk, especially when I used to be so good at it back home…not that I'm an alcoholic or anything' she added quickly.

'The thought never crossed my mind' he told her with a smile.

'Besides, I'm sure you have a boyfriend waiting for you at home, or around here somewhere' she said, looking around as if she expected to see him appear out of nowhere.

'Nope' Joey shook his head. And then he frowned and stopped walking 'wait, you think I'm gay?' he asked her in surprise 'why would you think I'm gay?'

Lauren turned to face him, blinking at him. 'Because you said you had no desire to sleep with me' she told him, as if the answer was obvious.

Joey looked at her 'And from that remark you decided I was gay?' he asked her incredulously.

'Was I wrong?' she asked him, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows at him questioningly.

'Yes!' he exclaimed 'very wrong. I'm very much heterosexual thank you very much' he told her firmly.

'Me thinks someone's protesting a little too much' she said with a giggle.

'I'm not protesting. I'm telling you that I'm straight. I like women' he told her 'and the reason I said I had no desire to sleep with you was because you automatically assumed I wanted to and I can tell you now that's not the case' he said shaking his head. He started walking again, leaving Lauren staring after him.

'Why not?' she frowned, marching after him. 'I'm hot…look at me…'

Joey turned, walking backwards as he looked at her. 'Really?' he asked her 'for one thing, it looks as though you haven't brushed your hair in three days and you're wearing a t-shirt three times too big for you which has the remnants of porridge or possibly eggs all down the front of it. You have on a pair of rather unattractive baggy grey flannel sweat pants. And you also have two different colour flip flops on. Yeah, Lauren, you look so hot right now' he told her with a grin. 'I can barely control my primal urges to throw you down onto the sand, rip your clothes off and have my way with you' he told her.

Lauren looked down at herself and frowned 'I hate you, Lucy Beale' she said as she realised everything Joey had said was true.

Joey stopped walking 'how is the way you look Lucy's fault?' he asked her putting his hands on his hips.

'She told me I looked fine' Lauren replied.

Joey blinked at her and then burst out laughing, 'like I said, babe. With friends like Lucy who needs enemies?'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The two of them walked along the shore line and then sat down on a log. 'You've let me talk all night and I don't know anything about you' Lauren said to him quietly.

'You know three things about me' he told her 'you know I'm English. You know I own and run a bar in Hawaii. And you know I'm not gay' he said pointedly.

'True' she nodded her head 'so, what part of London are you from?' she asked him.

'Hackney' Joey said.

'Oh…I've been there once. I went with my dad on a business trip when I was 12. He was supposed to be at home looking at me when I had tonsillitis but he took me out to work with him. Mum was furious with him when she realised what he'd done' she smiled as she remembered. 'Me and dad had a great time'

'Lucky you. Hackney's a shit hole' Joey said with a frown.

'No, don't hold back, Joey, say what you think' she teased him.

'You didn't have to grow up there' he told her, a scowl covered his face.

'I grew up in Basingstoke' Lauren told him 'Mum hated it there, she wanted to move but dad would never agree to it, not until me and Abi were older. We moved to Walford when I was 12' she said 'lived there ever since' she said, she realised she was telling Joey more about her and she wanted to know more about him 'So, what brought you to Hawaii?' she asked him.

'I fancied a change. A clean break' he replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.

'A clean break from what?' she asked him, sensing there was more to the story than that. She moved so she was straddling the log so she was facing him. His face clouded over and Lauren laughed softly, trying to lighten the moment. 'I'm sorry, that was a little bit blunt and direct… and also none of my business' she said 'I'll ask you something else' she glanced out towards the sea as she thought, turning back to look at him when she'd got a new question. 'How long have you been here?'

'Just over a year' Joey said to her.

'Did you do bar work in London?' she asked him.

He paused before he answered her question. 'No' he shook his head. 'I did something very different in London'

'Do you miss London?' she asked him.

'No' this time he replied without hesitation 'not even a little. I mean look where I am. It's hot here pretty much all year round. 'Business is good. I live in a hut not far from the bar. No one bothers me and I love my life right now. Everything I need…I want is right here' he said 'I get views like this every night whenever I want them' he told her, smiling as he looked out at the sea 'why would I even consider going back to London?' he asked her 'there's nothing there for me anymore'

'I know the feeling' Lauren said with a sigh, she looked down at her left hand where the large ostentatious engagement ring Stuart had given her used to be. 'I'm not sure what will be left for me when I go back'

'How long are you here for?' he asked her.

'Six weeks' Lauren said looking up at him, she decided she was going to be honest with him. 'You were right. This wasn't supposed to be a girl's holiday' she told him. 'This is supposed to be my honeymoon'

Joey's head snapped up as he looked at her 'you're married?' he exclaimed.

 **AN: Well, Lauren and Joey seem to have the beginnings of a friendship blossoming. Even though Lauren thought Joey was gay…but has her little bombshell at the end about being on her honeymoon put the kibosh on their budding friendship? Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review. Xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

'No' Lauren shook her head. 'No, I'm not married' she told him truthfully, the sadness washed over her face again.

'What happened?' Joey asked her curiously, hoping he wasn't prying too much.

Lauren took a deep breath and she looked down at her hand, playing with her naked ring finger. 'I'm not really sure to be honest' she told him with a frown 'I'd had some doubts over the few months leading up to the wedding, which got worse on the hen night'

'What happened on the hen night?' he asked her.

'What happened on the hen night?' Lauren repeated and she looked up at the sky 'Ah, well you see if you'd asked me the question what didn't happen on the hen night it would probably be easier to answer' she told him and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 'The hen night was a surprise. Lucy and Whitney organised it for me behind my back, despite me telling them numerous times I didn't want to have one. I would have preferred a night in with the girls, maybe watching movies with some wine' she said softly.

'I might have known Lucy would have something to do with it' Joey said softly.

'I've never actually got what the point of a hen night is anyway' she said with a frown. 'Like I said I'd felt a bit shaky about the wedding for a while, I just thought I had cold feet. Mum said every bride has cold feet before her wedding day and that it was nothing to worry about' she told him and she looked up at him. 'And then there was the hen night and I got even more uncertain of what I was doing…and as the wedding got closer…'

'Your feet got colder?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head.

'Yeah, they did. And it didn't help that Lucy made me play this stupid game on the Hen night…and it just left me feeling as though I didn't know Stuart at all' Lauren admitted to him 'it was a total disaster and then after the whole thing she organised strippers'

'You don't like strippers?' Joey asked her.

'No' Lauren shook her head 'Especially not when they want to gyrate their "business" in my face' she told him. 'I mean how is that acceptable behaviour for a complete stranger to gyrate their groin in your face?'

Joey smirked 'I'm sure some girls like it' he told her.

'Yeah, Lucy being one of them' Lauren told him rolling her eyes 'I think she even took a couple of them home with her' she said. 'She's probably going to be buried in a Y shaped coffin…I'm surprised she isn't bandy, her legs are never together for very long…'

'Doesn't she sound like an interesting girl' Joey replied, raising his eyebrows. He licked his lips 'so I'm guessing you called the wedding off?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head 'a little later than everyone probably would've liked' she added thoughtfully. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about the fall out of her actions and wondered once again how things were at home. 'I didn't even have the courage to face Stuart' she told him as she raised her head to look at him again 'I left it up to my dad to break the news to everyone in the church while Lucy and I hightailed it to the airport'

'At least you had the courage to call off the wedding' he said to her 'better not to get married in the first place than to have to get a divorce six months down the line'

'That's what I tried to tell mum that morning, but she wasn't having any of it. She convinced me it was just pre-wedding jitters' Lauren told him.

'Even though you knew deep down it wasn't' Joey nodded his head. 'Parents have a lot to answer for sometimes' he said scratching his chin. He looked out at the water. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

'Yeah they do.' Lauren said 'So do best friends' she frowned as she thought about how annoyed she was with Lucy.

'I second that' Joey nodded his head in agreement.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey glanced at his watch 'Wow, it's nearly 3 am' he said with surprise.

'It's that late?' Lauren asked him, equally as surprised, it didn't feel like they'd been talking for that long.

'Yep' he said standing up 'come on, I'll walk you back to the hotel' he said to her.

'It's right there' she pointed with her index finger. 'I'm not going to get lost, promise' she teased him.

'I said I would walk you back to the hotel and that's what I'm going to do' Joey told her. Lauren smiled at him as they walked the short distance to the door of her hotel. 'Here you are, back safe and sound'

'Thank you' she said softly.

'You're welcome' Joey smiled back at her. 'So what are your plans for tomorrow?' he asked her casually, pushing his hands into his pockets.

'More mooching and wallowing in guilt and self-pity' she said with a shrug.

'How about you spend the day with me instead?' he asked her.

'I've never worked in a bar, Joey' she told him with a panicked looked on her face.

'I wasn't asking you to work in the bar, I take most Tuesday's off. Normally I just stay home and sleep' he said 'but since your best friend has pretty much abandoned you to have her own fun, I feel kind of bad about you being on your own and…'

'I don't need your pity, Joey' Lauren cut him off with a frown.

He ignored her and continued to talk 'and I thought, if you wanted to, I could show you the sights' he told her. Lauren stared at him for a few moments and then she smiled, nodding her head.

'I'd like that' she told him softly.

'Good. I'll meet you here at 10:00am' he said to her.

'Okay, good, 10:00am' she replied.

'And if you're very lucky, I might tell you the story of how I discovered my girlfriend was cheating on me with my best friend the day before my wedding' he said to her. 'I'll see you tomorrow'

'You can't just drop that on me and then go!' Lauren exclaimed.

'I'll tell you about it tomorrow' he smiled at her 'good night Lauren'

'Night, Joey' she replied softly as she watched him walk away.

 **AN: Well, that was a bit of a shock right? Joey walked out on his own wedding too! Seems like they have a lot of things in common! And they spent a long time talking too…wonder what's going to happen tomorrow? And where's Lucy? Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

The next morning, Lucy narrowed her eyes at Lauren as she put on her makeup. 'What time is it?' Lucy asked her, rolling over in the bed to look at her properly.

'Look at your phone' Lauren snapped at her. She heard movement from behind her and she glanced over to see Lucy reaching for her mobile.

'Urgh… it's still early' Lucy growled at her. 'Where are you going?'

'I'm taking your advice' Lauren told her 'I'm going to stop lazing around in my own…Wait, what was you said again?' Lauren paused to think for a few minutes, 'Oh yes…"pit of stink" and I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself and for the marriage that never happened and the implosion of my relationship because when you think about I'm the reason the marriage didn't happen and the fact my relationship imploded is also my fault… and therefore I have no reason to feel sad about it. So I'm going out to explore the Island' Lauren told her. Lucy blinked at her as she listened to Lauren's tirade.

'Hey, Lauren. I didn't mean it like that' Lucy said pushing herself to sit up, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

'Oh come off it, Luce, that's exactly how you meant it' Lauren looked over the top of the mirror at her. 'You never sugar coat things…you never think about what you are going to say before the words come out of your mouth. You never think about how hurtful your words are either' Lauren put her lip gloss down and she turned to look at Lucy 'you also seem to forget who paid for your five star holiday to Hawaii and who has the return flight tickets to England safely hidden away' she said pointedly.

'I'm sorry…' Lucy started to say.

'Yeah, you're always sorry, Luce' Lauren said to her. She sighed and picked up her bag 'I'll see you later' she told her. She got up and walked to the door, making sure she slammed it behind her when she left, knowing that Lucy was suffering the after effects of a hangover. She grinned to herself as she made her way out of the hotel.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey walked towards the hotel and when he saw Lauren he let out a loud wolf whistle. She turned to look at him and the smile that lit up her face took his breath away.

'Wow…you scrub up pretty well' he said to her as she reached her side 'and you smell better too' he added teasingly.

'I showered' she told him with a grin 'and brushed my hair'

'I'm very impressed' he nodded his head, he looked down at her feet 'although I'm a little sorry you're not wearing mismatched flip flops today, it kind of turned me on' he teased her a bit more and she giggled.

'Ha, ha, funny guy!' she laughed.

'Did Lucy come home last night?' he glanced at the hotel.

'Mmhmm, she rolled in about three hours ago' she told him 'she's a little worse for wear this morning'

'Serves her right' Joey grinned at her 'so are you ready for your day of sightseeing?' he asked.

'Yep, all set' she nodded her head 'even more ready for you to tell me the whole story behind the little snippet you dropped last night' she grinned at him.

'We have all day for that' Joey replied with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey took on the role of tour guide, taking Lauren to all his favourite places. They had dinner in a small off the track restaurant that wasn't really frequented by tourists, but instead by the many locals who shied away from the "loud and brash English and Americans". Joey ordered some traditional Hawaiian food for them both to eat and Lauren loved the dishes he'd chosen for her. She particularly enjoyed the Laulau, which was a dish consisting of pork, wrapped in layers of taro leaves and cooked in an underground hot rock over until it turned a soft and smoky flavour. The pork was so tender it literally melted in Lauren's mouths and the taro leaves turned to a spinach like consistency and tasted even better. She also tried a dish called Poke, a fish salad, which when she looked at it she thought she was going to hate. But after some gentle encouragement from Joey she tried it and found it was delicious. Joey refused to let her pay for her half of the meal and for a brief moment Lauren thought it felt as though the two of them were on a date. She smiled as he led her out of the restaurant and they headed towards the ocean. For the first time in a long time Lauren realised she wasn't on edge and she hadn't thought about the mess she'd left behind in Walford, well until that moment at least. She glanced at Joey briefly wondering when he was going to tell her about his past, she didn't want to push but she was eager to hear about his almost wedding. They walked along the shore and then Lauren realised they were at Joey's bar. He unlocked the door and they went inside and Joey locked up again behind them. Lauren took a seat as Joey made a jug of cocktail.

'This is called a Mai Tai' he said putting the jug and a couple of glasses on the table. 'And I think you'll enjoy it' he told her expectantly as he poured a glass for each of them. Lauren picked up the glass and sniffed the contents, pulling a grossed out face. 'Stop being a drama queen and just taste it' he said with a laugh. Lauren narrowed her eyes at him and then took a tentative sip. She swallowed and she could taste and feel the rum as she swallowed. It warmed her body and she smiled.

'Yummy' she grinned at him, licking her lips and then she frowned at him 'how come you didn't make this for me last night?' she asked him.

'Because you asked for a Purple Rain cocktail' he explained to her.

'Yes, I know that, but afterwards, when I said I wanted to get drunk. Why didn't you make me one then?' she asked him.

'Because you said you wanted something with punch in it. And that's what you got?' he told her.

'I like this' she said to him taking another sip, 'it's so yummy…what's it called again?'

'A Mai Tai' Joey told her again.

'This has got punch in it' she smiled at him 'for future reference when a girl tells you she wants a drink with punch in it…this is what she means' Lauren told him authoritatively.

'I'll bear that in mind, thank you' he shook his head with a smile. 'So…how did you leave things with Stuart?' Joey asked her, trying to sound casual.

'I think the fact I left him at the altar and I haven't spoken to him since would mean that our relationship is pretty much over' she said to him.

'You haven't taken his calls?' Joey asked her surprised, he hadn't thought she was that kind of girl.

'There's been no calls to take' she said with a sad smile. 'So I guess that speaks volumes in itself…that he doesn't want to talk to me' she told him, she looked down and Joey felt bad for bringing it up again.

'Where do you live?' he asked her changing the subject.

'Walford. Albert Square in fact. I have a one bedroom flat just off the square. Stuart would stay with me at weekends…during the week he stayed in his flat in Central London' she told him.

'What does he do?' Joey asked her

'He works in a law firm in London. He's a solicitor, makes £500 an hour or thereabouts' she told him.

'Wow. Well, I guess that explains the six-week honeymoon and the five star hotel' Joey took a drink 'and what do you do?' he asked her.

'Me? Currently I'm drinking a Mai Tai with you' she said to him, raising the glass to her lips, she said, avoiding the question. But Joey wasn't going to give up. Lauren intrigued him and he wanted to know everything about her. Also he was putting off telling her about his past.

'Do you have a job?' Joey looked at her expectantly.

'Nope. I did, but Stuart wanted me to quit. We were moving to his place in London after the wedding' she told him.

'So what did you do?' he asked her 'before Stuart wanted you to quit?'

'I helped my dad' Lauren said to him.

'Yeah?' Joey frowned, she hadn't really given away much. 'Doing what?'

'He owns a car lot. I worked part time in the back office doing admin work for him. It was only supposed to be a temporary job anyway. I wanted to be an illustrator. Of children's books' she told him 'I mean…that's what I want to be. I used to volunteer at a school, read books for the kids, sometimes I used to draw for them too, try to teach them how to draw' she blushed slightly as she said that last part.

'Well, now you have your chance to be whatever you want to be' he said to her softly. 'You have a clean slate' he licked his lips and took another drink and he put his glass down with a sigh. 'Do you think you and Stuart will get back together when you go back home?'

'No' Lauren said firmly 'Marrying Stuart would've been a huge mistake' she told him. 'I don't really know why I let things get this far' she told him with a frown 'I thought I was happy with him, but now…now I know I wasn't. Otherwise I would have married him without hesitation' she frowned as she looked down at her glass and saw it was empty. She reached forward and refilled it and then looked at Joey. 'I think we've heard enough about me. I think it's time I heard a little bit about you' she told him.

'Okay. What do you want to know?' he said to her pushing his glass forward for a refill.

'Everything' she replied seriously as she refilled his glass.

Joey laughed and he sat back in his chair. 'That could take a while and also would be very unfair because I am almost certain that I don't know everything there is to know about you' he told her with a smile.

 **AN: Well, it looks as though Lucy is suffering after a heavy night of drinking…she's not really being a very good friend to Lauren either. And once again, Lauren is opening up to Joey and telling her about her life and they're getting on really well … I wonder what Joey's story is though? I might be back later with another chapter if you're very good with the reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

Joey took a deep breath and he looked at her 'Okay. Well I guess I don't need to ask you where you want me to start. You've been dying for me to tell you how I ended up living in Hawaii so how about we start there'

'Okay' Lauren grinned at him. 'If you insist' she said, secretly pleased he was starting with the "good stuff".

'So…I'd been with my girlfriend for about 5 years. We'd been engaged for 2 years, she was never all that keen to set a date for the wedding, she said she wanted to enjoy being engaged and make sure getting married was something we both wanted. And I had no reason to think she wasn't happy with me and no reason to doubt my best friend was stabbing me in the back' Joey told her.

'Was it a one off?' Lauren asked him.

'Apparently not' Joey told her shaking his head.

'How long were they…you know?'

'How about we hold all questions until the end, hey?' he looked at her. Lauren face flushed slightly, as if she'd just been scolded, she nodded her head in agreement.

'Sorry' she said making a locking motion over her lips and put the invisible key on the table.

'Thank you' Joey said with a smile at her actions. Lauren took a drink and she looked at Joey expectantly. 'I didn't think anything of her wanting to spend some time being engaged. I wasn't expecting the wedding to be six months after we got engaged but I'd hoped after a year we would start to make some headway on the wedding arrangements. Over the second year of our engagement I dropped hints about setting a date but she didn't pick up on them…with hindsight I now realise she probably did but chose to ignore them' he told her, pausing to take a drink. She saw he'd half emptied his glass. 'I stopped asking and suggesting dates and things just carried on as normal for a while. Then one day out of the blue she said we should set a date' he told her. 'I was thrilled, it felt like I'd been waiting forever to be married to her' he paused and emptied his glass. 'Things were a bit of a whirlwind for a while, you know with venues being looked at, guest lists…other arrangements being made. We had some big decisions to make. I was paying for everything, her parents were killed in a car crash when she was 12 and she lived with her grandparents, they didn't really have a lot of money and besides I'd been saving and I wanted her to have the wedding day she'd always dreamt of. I would've been perfectly happy to exchange vows in a registry office but she wanted the whole package. A big white dress, a church, twelve bridesmaids and a long honeymoon to Hawaii' he said and he looked up at her. 'I guess alarm bells should've been going off in my head at this stage but I was just so pleased she'd finally agreed to a date that it was all I was focused on' he looked down at his empty glass. 'She was the girl…you know' he frowned 'the one' he told her. 'At least that's what I thought at the time.' He added with a bitter laugh. Lauren took a drink and then put her glass down and got up and moved to sit closer to Joey, she took his glass away from him, putting it down on the bar

'You don't have to tell me anymore if it's too painful for you' Lauren told him softly feeling bad for pushing him to talk. She reached out and covered his hand with hers, giving it a soft squeeze.

Joey's eyes fell to her hand and he looked up at her with a pained smiled 'a promise is a promise' he told her softly, 'besides it might help to talk about it with someone, I've never really done that'

'Okay' Lauren whispered softly, squeezing his hand again.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy headed to the bar and frowned when she found it locked up. She didn't really know her way round the island and wanted to go to the familiar place she felt safe. Also there was the added bonus of ogling the hunky English barman behind the bar. She wondered where Lauren was, what she was doing and who she was with. Lucy shook her head. Lauren had probably found another place she could mope around, she wondered if she'd brought her sketch pad with her and decided she probably had and she'd probably found a scenic yet quiet spot she could draw and mope in peace. Lucy sighed, she guessed she would have to drink at the bar in the hotel until Lauren came back. She headed back towards the hotel, wondering who she could find to buy her drinks for the rest of the night.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey took a deep breath 'refill?' he asked Lauren as he picked up the jug of Mai Tai.

'Please' she nodded her head and reached for her glass. Joey instantly missed the warmth of her hand on his. He refilled her glass before his own 'thank you' she smiled at him.

'So…where was I?' he asked Lauren.

'You said you thought she was the one' Lauren reminded him softly.

'Ah! Yes' Joey nodded his head. 'As the wedding drew closer we were spending more and more time apart and when we did see each other she was always so stressed out about everything. She told me it was because she was organising the wedding and juggling work and I believed her. I offered to take some of the load off her but she wouldn't have it, she told me I'd only mess things up and she wanted our wedding day to be perfect' he told her with a small smile 'she was probably right, I would've done something wrong' he admitted freely. Lauren took a sip of the Mai Tai before putting the glass on the table. 'I asked Rob, my best friend, to do anything he could to help her, seeing as she wouldn't let me and he was a little reluctant at first, which I should've realised was suspicious in itself…but in the end he agreed' Joey told her and he looked up at her. 'I guess I have "gullible fool" written in big letters across my forehead.'

Lauren reached out, gently pushed his hair off his forehead, shaking her head slowly 'I can't see anything' she told him, smiling at him. Joey smiled back at her, holding her gaze for a little longer than was necessary, Lauren withdrew her hand and picked up her glass, but she didn't drink from it.

'Anyway. The wedding was drawing closer and things between me and… and…' he swallowed as if her name was getting caught in his throat 'and Sarah were better than ever. Sex was great…not that we ever had any problems in that area…' he said, a small flush covering his cheeks. He averted his gaze and licked his lips. 'I'd decided that I didn't want a stag do. I mean I didn't really see the point of it either' he said remembering Lauren's thoughts on hen nights. 'So I thought I'd go over and see Rob the night before the wedding, I figured we could have a few drinks and talk about old times' Joey told her 'you now relive the glory days before I got hitched'

'And she was there?' Lauren said.

'Yes, she was there' Joey nodded his head 'Rob and I had keys to each other's place and I let myself in and found the two of them naked and screwing on the sofa' he told her 'I didn't say anything…I couldn't. I couldn't move. It was as though my mouth and legs didn't work anymore. All I could do was stand there and watch them. Sarah looked up after a while and saw me there and she started freaking out and I found my legs again…I just left' he told Lauren, his eyes staring into the distance as though he was re-watching the events that happened. 'Rob was calling me on the phone and so was Sarah but I couldn't talk to either of them. I didn't want to. I had no idea that they were screwing behind my back. I didn't know that there was anything wrong in our relationship…I thought she was happy with me, satisfied…' he trailed off and fell silent for a few minutes. Lauren waited patiently for him to speak again 'Sarah followed me back to mine, but I wouldn't let her in, she had a key but I deadlocked the door from the inside so she couldn't get in. I sat in the lounge and I grabbed the expensive bottle of champagne I was planning to take on our honeymoon to open on our wedding night and I started to drink it' Joey told her. 'Eventually Sarah left when she realised I wasn't going to let her in and a couple of hours later Rob turned up. I let him in and he started to explain. He told me it had only happened that night…that it was a one off, a stupid drunken mistake. Her last mistake before she committed herself to me. He told me that I'd be a fool to throw away the best thing that had ever happened to me over a drunken one-night stand that didn't mean anything to either party involved. He said he was sorry, he was crying and everything. He told me he'd never ever do anything like that ever again and he told me I had to go through with the wedding. He told me that Sarah loved me and I was the one…he put me to bed and I woke the next morning and I started to get ready for the wedding' Joey trailed off and blinked a few times and he looked at Lauren. He stood up with his drink and took a mouthful before setting the glass down on the bar.

'You…you were still going to marry her?' Lauren asked him in surprise. 'Even after what you saw?'

'Yes' Joey nodded his head. 'Rob was so convincing the night before and I believed him when he said it was just one night …a drunken mistake' he told her 'until I listened to the voicemails Sarah had left on my phone. She told me she was glad that Rob and I had talked and that he'd explained everything to me. She was tearful and very apologetic and said she never meant it to happen and that last night was the last time she would ever sleep with him, she told me that she loved me and she'd see me at the church…' Joey told Lauren. 'I realised then that Rob had lied to me. That this was more than one drunken night'

'Then what happened?'

'I put my bags in the boot of my car and drove to the airport and I flew to Hawaii' Joey told her with a shrug.

'Did she come after you?' Lauren asked, she was literally sitting on the edge of her seat, eager to hear the details.

Joey nodded his head 'yeah, she did. Rob too'

'Then what happened?'

'I broke Rob's face with my fists' Joey told her with a smile. He looked at his watch 'It's getting late' he told her 'and I don't know about you but I'm starving again' he told her

'Me too' she nodded her head 'but this time I get to pay' she told him.

Joey paused for a moment and nodded his head 'You have a deal. There's a Burger King not far from here'

'I could literally murder a burger' she smiled at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After they'd eaten, Lauren insisted on returning the favour and walking Joey home. They reached his house, which was really more like a hut and he unlocked the door and turned to look at her. 'Thank you for today, I had a really great time' she told him. Lauren held his gaze for a few moments and then reached up and kissed his cheek softly 'you're one of the good guys, Joey' she whispered softly 'good guys don't always finish last…never forget that' Joey smiled at her as she pulled back to look at him. 'Goodnight Joey' she smiled up at him.

Joey caught her hand as she turned to walk away from him. 'The day doesn't have to end here' he said to her softly. 'Not if you don't want it to' she looked down at his hand and he pulled her towards him, her eyes moved to his face to look into his eyes before falling to his lips. He cupped her face with his other hand and drew her into a soft kiss.

 **AN: Well so now we know that Joey was engaged to be married and he discovered his fiancé was sleeping with his best friend the night before the wedding! What a cow she is! And I'm guessing his best friend is now his ex-best friend too! OOH! They kissed!** **Is Lauren rebounding from Stuart? I wonder what happens next? Back tomorrow! Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

The kiss ended and Lauren knew she should turn around and go home but instead she found herself staring at Joey. Her lips were tingling from the brief soft kiss they'd just shared.

Joey blinked at Lauren, knowing he should say good night and then turn around and go into his house and close the door behind him, but he couldn't make his feet move. He couldn't believe the feelings that were currently coursing through his body after just one soft brief kiss.

The two of them stared at each other, neither of them had been expecting the kiss to happen, neither of them had been thinking about kissing the other. But now suddenly… that was all they could think about. They both grabbed each other at the same time, pulling the other closer as their mouths met once more. Joey opened the door with one hand and they stumbled inside. He pushed the door shut with his foot before turning Lauren and pressing her up against it. The keys he was holding in his hand fell to the wooden floor with a loud clatter. He wanted her. In that moment he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any other woman. He broke the kiss briefly to gulp in lungful's of air before he moved his lips to her neck. She tilted her head backwards and to the side as his lips and teeth worried the flesh beneath, she gave a soft gasp as she felt his lips on her throat. Her hands moved to his chest, feeling the hard sinew beneath as she pushed the t-shirt up, Joey pulled away from her long enough to help her pull it up over his head. It was tossed aside and forgotten about. Lauren turned them this time and Joey's back hit the wall hard as she broke the kiss to look at his chest at the muscles she knew would be there. She kissed and licked his chest as her hands moved to the front of his jeans. Her fingers grazed the bulge in his jeans as she unzipped and pushed them down his legs. She reached up to kiss him again and their tongues duelled. Joey spun them again and the cold wall hit her back and she realised Joey had somehow at some point taken her top off, her skirt followed shortly after.

Joey turned them once more, still kissing her like he was a starving man and he half-walked and half-stumbled them through the small room towards the bed in the corner, they were both naked when they fell onto the bed. They couldn't get close enough to each other fast enough. They both needed this as badly as the other did. Joey pressed against her, finding her already wet, much to his delight and relief and he thrust inside her in one swift movement. He broke the kiss to give a satisfied groan, Lauren gasped in part relief and part surprise. She clutched at his back and shoulders as he began to thrust inside her in at a sporadic yet relentless pace. Lauren's orgasm came out of the blue and Joey rolled them so he was on his back and Lauren was straddling him as it was starting to fade. He sat up to kiss her again, his tongue plundering her mouth, she groaned and gasped as he pulled another orgasm from her with ease. Their coupling was fast and furious and the only sound that was being made was the sound of their grunting and groaning and the sound of flesh slapping together as they drove to reach the high they both needed so badly. Joey couldn't believe how responsive Lauren was…how quickly he could wring an orgasm out of her. He rolled her again, and her hands fell back from his shoulders onto the pillow beneath her head. Joey caught them in his hands and raised them up over her head. They were still kissing each other hungrily and despite Lauren's first two orgasms she craved more, she needed more. Joey groaned, burying his face in her neck, grunting as his impending orgasm grew closer and closer. Lauren came once more and the feeling of her tight wet core gripping his cock firmly brought him to his climax. He thrust harder and cried out as he pulsed five times inside her, collapsing on top of her when his arms gave way.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After they'd both caught their breath, Joey moved to lie on his back. Lauren let out a long contented sigh and a huge grin lit up her face. 'Thank you' she said turning her head to look Joey, who was also wearing a huge grin and looking very pleased with himself.

'For what? For sex?' he asked her with a smirk, turning his head to look at her.

'Yeah, kind of' she nodded her head and rolled onto her side so she was facing him. 'I haven't felt this relaxed in months' she told him.

'Well, in that case, you're welcome' he told her with a grin. 'and if you don't have to rush off anywhere, I can relax you all over again…not right this second though…' he added quickly 'I just need fifteen minutes or so'

Lauren looked at him with a smile and then giggled. 'At least that answers one of the questions I've wanted to ask since we came in here'

'And that question was?' he asked her.

'If I was staying the night' she said.

'Hey, I never said you were staying the night' Joey teased her 'I just said we were going to have sex again' he told her, secretly pleased she wanted to spend the night with him, which meant they would probably have sex more than twice.

'And that answers questions number two' Lauren giggled again.

'I'm surprised you could actually form questions and thoughts' he told her 'I know I had difficulty' he said, rolling onto his side to face her. He reached out and stroked her cheek lightly with one of his fingers.

'I was only able to think for the first two minutes' she said with a small smile.

Joey looked at her and licked his lips 'you look so beautiful right now' he told her. Her cheeks coloured and she rolled her eyes 'you should learn how to take a compliment' he murmured as he moved forward and kissed her softly. 'You're staying the night' he whispered against her lips before kissing her again.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After their second time, Lauren was lying across Joey, her chin resting on his chest as they talked to each other. Joey was absentmindedly playing with her hair, watching the way it fell through his fingers and tickled his chest as it did so.

'I don't do this on a regular basis' he told her softly.

'Have sex?' Lauren asked him.

'No…well… actually yes, but that's not what I meant' he told her 'I meant picking up girls at the bar and bringing them back to my place' he said 'I don't do that on a regular basis. In fact, this is a first' he told her 'you're the first girl I've slept with since…since Sarah'

'Oh' Lauren said in surprise 'Well, you the first person I've slept with since Stuart' she told him softly 'and I don't make a habit of this either…in case you were wondering' she said softly.

'Good to know' Joey replied with a smile, tugging on her hair gently, taking the hint Lauren stretched her face up to his for a kiss. The two of them melted into each other again.

 **AN: Thank you for all reviews…I am so glad that you are enjoying The Naked Truth! It's a long story at 180 plus chapters! Don't forget to leave me a review…back tomorrow.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

The next morning Lauren rolled over in the bed and realised she was alone. She frowned and sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. 'Joey?' she called out softly. She knew the hut he lived in wasn't huge, thanks to the virtual tour he'd given her from the bed last night. There was a bedroom and a bathroom and that was it. Joey ate out every day so he had no need for a kitchen and there was a laundry a few blocks from Joey's where he did his washing. 'Joey?' she called out again but got no answer. She climbed out of the bed and hurriedly used the bathroom as a feeling of dread settled in her stomach. She'd just done something she promised herself she would never ever do. She'd had a one-night stand. Coming out of the bathroom she spotted her clothing scattered around the floor. She grabbed them and quickly dressed and let herself out of the house, making a dash of shame back to the hotel. She only hoped Lucy wasn't there because this was a conversation she didn't want to have with her best friend, or anyone else for that matter…ever. Letting herself into the hotel room, she was relieved to see Lucy's bed hadn't been slept in. Neither had hers. She rushed across the room and messed up the sheets and punched a dent into the pillows so it gave the impression she had slept there last night. Grabbing a fresh set of clothes, she made her way into the bathroom to take a shower.

After her shower, Lauren sat in her room, wondering what to do. She had no idea how she was going to face Joey now. She felt mortified about her actions and her naivety. She had no idea how Lucy could do this on a regular basis. Lauren felt awful, she felt dirty and stupid. She walked over to the bed and threw herself down on to it feeling her eyes fill with tears. In many ways this hurt more than ending her relationship with Stuart and running away from her wedding did.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey wasn't feeling much better. He'd snuck out while Lauren was still sleeping to go and get some coffee and pastries for breakfast and when he'd got back to his house Lauren had gone. He thought they'd had a connection and that they'd understood each other. He had no idea that last night was going to turn into a one-night stand. He'd had enough of these in his youth to know that when a girl disappeared it meant she was only after one thing. Hell, he'd disappeared a few times himself, but he'd never felt like this before. He couldn't believe he'd read the situation so wrong. He thought Lauren was different, Lucy was the one looking for a string of one-night stands, not Lauren…or so he'd thought anyway. His earlier high that he'd felt when he'd woken up and seen her lying asleep beside him had fallen like a lead balloon when he returned home to see she'd left. He was now checking the stock at the bar and was berating himself for being such an idiot…again.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy walked into their hotel room at 12:30pm and saw Lauren sitting on the window ledge looking out at the ocean. 'Morning' Lucy said

'It's afternoon actually' Lauren replied with a sigh 'you just getting in?'

'Yep' Lucy nodded her head. 'I hooked up with the cute Irish waiter from the dining room' she said with a self-satisfied smile 'he's a bit of a stallion in the sack' she grinned 'I'm finding it a bit difficult to walk if you know what I mean'

'Lucy!' Lauren exclaimed in horror 'do you have to be so vulgar?' she snapped at her.

'At least I'm not a prude like you' Lucy said 'I'm going to take a shower' she frowned as she grabbed some clothes and headed towards the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and Lauren turned to stare at the bathroom. If only Lucy knew the truth of where she'd been last night. What she'd done.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later that evening, Lucy dragged Lauren out of the hotel and they were going out to get some food. Before Lauren realised where they were heading, it was too late. Lucy had lied and she was meeting her Irish stallion from the night before at the bar on the beach. The one that Joey owned and worked at. And the last place Lauren wanted to be.

'I'll see you later Lauren' Lucy called as she headed off with her latest conquest.

'Lucy Beale! I can't believe you've done this to me again. You are a total complete and utter selfish, self-centred bitch!' Lauren shouted at her angrily.

'I love you too, Lauren! Don't wait up' Lucy called back over her shoulder.

Joey looked up as he heard Lauren's name mentioned. He saw the anger and hurt on her face as Lucy walked away from her, abandoning her again. Lauren sighed, staring after her friend before feeling someone else's gaze on her. She turned and stared straight into the concerned eyes of Joey.

 **AN: Well… It would appear that after their night of passion, there's been a little bit of a misunderstanding between the two of them. Is Joey going to try and resolve it and will lauren let him? Both of them are feeling pretty crappy right now so I guess we'll have to wait and see…there's another chapter up for grabs tonight if you want it? Leave me a review.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine**

Lauren felt her face turning red and getting hot as she looked at him and memories of last night filtered into her head followed by the feelings she'd had that morning when she woke up and he wasn't there returned, eradicating her other emotions instantly. She could feel hot angry tears forming in her eyes that had very little to do with Lucy Beale and very much to do with Joey. She turned to go, not sure where she was planning on going exactly, just that she needed to be somewhere that wasn't this close to him.

'She's abandoned you again?' he asked her softly. Lauren closed her eyes, turning her head just a fraction to look at him.

'I'm getting used to it' Lauren replied truthfully.

'Do you want a drink?' he asked her, when she paused he added 'it's on the house'

Lauren wanted a drink, in fact if she was truthful she wanted several. More than several. She wanted to get absolute paralytic.

'I can pay' she replied tersely, walking to the bar 'I'll have a Mai Tai… please' she lowered her gaze, not meeting his.

Joey nodded his head and made her a drink and slid the glass across the bar to her. Lauren pulled out some money and dropped it onto the counter before picking up the drink and walking off to sit on the sand, not even waiting for her change. Joey watched her go, wishing he had someone helping him behind the bar so he could go after her. He wanted to ask her why she'd left this morning. He picked up the money and saw it was a $100 bill. He glanced around at the people nearby and he pulled the shutters down, locked the door and walked over to Lauren.

'I can't change this' he said to her crouching down beside her.

'You can't change $10?' she asked him with a frown 'business slow tonight?'

'I can change $10 but this is a $100 bill' he told her. Lauren took the note from him with a frown.

'Oh…sorry…' she said 'I thought it was a $10 bill' she told him and then she smiled 'that means Lucy has taken a $10 bill out with her tonight and that makes me feel a little bit better' she said as she slipped the money back into her bag. 'I don't have anything smaller' she told him softly.

'Like I said, the drink is on the house' he told her. He turned to go and then changed his mind and sat down beside her on the sand. 'Why did you leave this morning?' he asked her softly, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

She glanced at him but he stared straight ahead. 'Me leave?' she asked him with a frown 'I wasn't the one who woke up alone in a strange bed in a strange house' she told him.

'I went to get breakfast' Joey explained to her 'you know, since I don't have a kitchen' he turned to look at her.

'Oh…' she said sheepishly 'I thought…I thought you left because you woke up and saw me there and had second thoughts or realised last night shouldn't have happened…'

'No. I woke up and thought "wow, I've just had one of the most incredible nights of my life" and then I thought I have no coffee or food to give the gorgeous girl lying asleep beside me' he told her 'I meant what I said last night. I don't pick up girls at my bar on a regular basis. You're the first' he frowned 'I probably should've left a note' he said.

Lauren nodded her head 'you should've left a note' she agreed with him.

'Well, how about we try again tonight and I promise in the morning I'll leave you a note' he looked at her hopefully. She didn't reply 'unless you do regret last night?' he questioned her.

'No, no I don't' she shook her head 'not one second'

'So shall we try it again?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled 'I'd like that'

'Me too' Joey replied 'Come on, you can come and keep me company at the bar until closing time' he told her, standing up and holding out his hand. Lauren slipped her hand into his and he helped her up.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey spent the rest of his time that night alternating between serving customers at the bar and talking to Lauren. When he finally closed the bar at 1:00am, there was a nervous anticipation building between the two of them. He took her hand in his and they walked back to Joey's house. When they got there, Joey unlocked the door, stepping aside to let Lauren in first. She glanced around the room as Joey locked the door behind him. When she was here the night before she really didn't get a chance to have a look around. She knew what Joey's ceiling looked like and his bed but that was about it. Joey watched her as she walked around his modest house. 'I like it' she said softly 'Easy to clean, you know where everything is…I love the idea of no kitchen too…although I'd invest in a mini fridge' she told him.

'It's funny you should say that' Joey smiled, walking to a small cupboard and opening it. Inside was a mini fridge, with a bottle of wine inside, taking up all of the space. He pulled the bottle out and grabbed a corkscrew he'd taken from the bar out of his pocket and he uncorked the bottle. 'It's all I need' he told her 'I spend most of my time at the bar so I really only need a place to keep my stuff and sleep' he said as he opened another cupboard and pulled out a couple of plastic cups 'Sorry, these are all I have' he told her.

'They'll be fine' she said with a smile as she looked at him. He poured them both a cup of wine, passing one to her. 'Thank you' she said as her mobile rang. 'Sorry' she said apologetically handing the wine back as she dug around in her bag for the phone, she pulled it out and frowned before she answered it. 'Lucy?' she said in a tone that told Lucy she was not impressed. Joey watched Lauren as he sipped his drink. It seemed Lucy was doing all the talking as Lauren didn't say a single word, either because she couldn't get a word in edgeways or she wasn't impressed with what Lucy was saying to her. Lauren hung up the phone a few seconds later and looked up and Joey 'Sorry about that. Lucy's basically kicking me out of the hotel room tonight' Lauren told him.

'Then it's a good job you have a place to stay tonight, isn't it?' Joey asked her, taking her cup from her putting the cups of wine down. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT…** **Well…Lucy's still being a bitch and pinching money from Lauren's purse too! At least she only had $10 though! Back tomorrow with another chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

Lauren woke the next morning with a smile on her face, she rolled over and saw the empty space where Joey had been lying the night before. Her face fell until she saw a note on his pillow, she reached out and picked it up.

" _ **DO NOT LEAVE! I have gone to get breakfast. I have plans for today if you're not busy. Be back soon. Joey. PTO**_ _ **"**_ she read, she turned the little bit of paper over in her hands _**"**_ _ **DO NOT LEAVE! I MEAN IT!**_ _ **"**_ Lauren smiled and put the note on the bedside table. She lay back down in the bed and snuggled in deeper. She must have been dozing, because the next thing she was aware of were soft lips brushing gently against hers. She moaned softly as he deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding one hand into the hair at the back of his head, she raked his scalp gently with her nails.

'Morning' he murmured against her lips. 'You stayed'

'I did' Lauren replied softly 'you left a note'

'I did leave a note' he nodded his head and kissed her again. 'I got breakfast too' he said, pulling away from her. Lauren sat up, holding the sheet to her chest and saw two coffee cups and a paper bag. 'Help yourself' he said to her, getting to his feet and moving around to the other side of the bed. He stripped off his clothes and got back into the bed. Lauren handed him a coffee and offered him the bag. He pulled out a pastry and the two of them started to eat 'I was thinking, as I was getting breakfast, that I haven't really had a holiday for a while so I figured I could shut up the bar for a couple of days and maybe take you on a few more sightseeing trips?' he suggested.

Lauren looked at him, 'that sounds great, but won't you lose money if you don't open the bar?' she asked worriedly 'I don't want you to lose money…' she said screwing up the paper bag and dropping it onto the bedside table.

'The bar's been profitable' he told her 'I make plenty and I have some saved. My livelihood is going to be fine I promise, I can afford to take a few days off'

'Then, I think it sounds like a perfect idea, but we need to figure out what we're going to do, so maybe we could do that whilst you open the bar tonight? You could show me how to make cocktails?' she suggested with a smile as she moved forward and gave him a soft peck on the lips.

He nodded his head 'Okay, we can do that' he said to her with a smile

'Thank you' she whispered. 'So what are we doing until then?' she asked him.

'Well…It's funny you should ask' Joey told her as he took her coffee cup away from her, placing it next to the crumpled paper bag, he moved over her and kissed her 'I figured today we could just stay in bed' he murmured against her lips.

'You know what…that sounds perfect' she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy frowned when she got back to the hotel room that night. She'd tried to call Lauren a few times during the day, but she didn't pick up. Lucy had had a drunken row with her "Irish stallion" in the early hours of the morning and was too drunk to find the hotel and wanted Lauren to come and find her and take her back to their room and give her a little sympathy. She knew it was on the beach front but couldn't seem to locate it. She'd woken up this morning, face down in the sand behind a dune which, ironically, turned out to be a few feet from the hotel. Lucy had gone inside, showered and crawled into the bed to sleep off her hangover. Now she wanted hair of the dog as well as some TLC and sympathy from her best friend who appeared to be AWOL, and Lauren had more money than her so she wanted to touch her up for a loan she wouldn't pay back. Sitting on the bed she dialled Lauren's number, cutting off the call when she got her friends voicemail… again. She wondered where she could be.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey beamed as Lauren made her third successful cocktail in a row 'you're a natural, babe' he told her as she dropped a little umbrella and straw into the glass and gave it to the waiting woman at the bar. 'You ever want a change of scene from London, you've got a job here' he told her.

'I may hold you to that, Joey' she told him with a smile.

Lauren took the money from the woman she'd just served and handed it to Joey. 'You keep it. You earned it' he smiled at her.

'Thank you' she said tucking the money into her bra. Joey grinned at her 'Okay I am going to sit the other side of the bar and let you serve me now' she told him. She let herself out of the bar and took a seat outside and looked at Joey expectantly.

'What can I get you, gorgeous?' he asked her.

'Surprise me' she said softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy saw Lauren as she walked towards the bar 'There you are' she huffed as she sat down on the stool next to her 'I've been looking for you all day! I've called you at least a million times' she looked at Lauren expectantly 'I need to talk to you'

'Really?' Lauren frowned at her 'about what?'

'I had a huge row with Connor last night' she told her, Lauren frowned not recognising the name, Lucy rolled her eyes 'the Irish stallion' she said sounding annoyed.

'And what do you want me to do about it?' Lauren turned on her stool to face her.

'The things that best friends are supposed to do. Talk it through with me. Blame him for being a moron and tell me that I'll meet the man of my dreams one day. It's the best friend's job to be a shoulder to cry on, be a sympathetic ear' Lucy told her, looking at her expectantly.

'That's the job of the best friend?' Lauren asked her, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

'Yes' Lucy nodded her head 'you know it is' she told her with a frustrated sigh.

'Oh…' Lauren nodded her head thoughtfully 'It's just that I don't recall you doing any of this for me' she said 'In fact you put your iPod on as soon as we got on the plane and then you've spent every night prowling around the locals looking for someone to fuck. You did give me some words of advice which I'm going to share with you now' Lauren told her as Lucy's face went red. 'You told me to, and I quote, "suck it up, get over it and go fuck some locals to take my mind off things"' Lauren said to her, Joey bit back a laugh as he saw Lucy's face pale and fall. 'So you should go do that' Lauren told her.

'Lauren!' Lucy exclaimed. 'How is that helpful?'

'I wondered the exact same thing when you gave me the advice. You'll figure it out!' Lauren said and she turned back to the bar and took a sip of her drink. After a few moments she glanced at Lucy 'are you still here?'

Joey watched as Lucy opened her mouth to say something but then shut it, scowling at Lauren as she slid off the stool and walked away.

 **AN: So…this time Joey left a note! YAY! And Lucy is still a cow…I wonder if she will ever change… leave me a review, back tomorrow.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven**

'Well that certainly put Lucy in her place' Joey said with a chuckle, he looked at Lauren. 'Are you okay?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded her head 'Mmhmm and I'll be even better when I've had a few more of these' Lauren told him pushing her now empty glass towards him.

'Another Mai Tai?' he asked her.

She nodded 'yes please' she grinned at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'I think you may be a little drunk' Joey told her with a laugh as he led her back to his house, his arm around her shoulders as her feet caught on nothing, making her stumble.

'I think you might be right' she nodded her head with a giggle. 'We probably should've eaten' she said with a sheepish grin.

'I think we probably should've' he nodded his head in agreement. 'Okay, in that case I think we need to make a slight detour, get something to eat, soak up some of the copious amounts of alcohol that you've consumed today'

'Okay' Lauren nodded her head 'good thinking, Batman' she grinned and then giggled 'wait…we're still going to have sex tonight though, right?' she asked him in a rather loud voice. A few people around them stopped and looked at them both.

'Let's just get you some food first okay?' he said, a slight blush on his face as he ushered her towards the first place he could see.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'I love Burger King' Lauren said taking another huge mouthful of her Double Whopper. 'Mmm, this is the best food ever'

Joey smiled at her 'It's pretty good' he nodded his head. He liked a girl with a healthy appetite, one who wasn't fussy about where and what they ate. Lauren was perfectly happy to eat from McDonalds or Burger King and didn't insist he took her somewhere expensive, like Sarah used to. Not that he wouldn't take Lauren to a fancy restaurant if that was where she wanted to go, he would without hesitation. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd take her to wherever she wanted to go.

'Who would've thought they'd have Burger King in Hawaii?' she said with a smile.

'Hawaii is in America. Fast food capital of the world' Joey told her.

'I keep forgetting Hawaii is in America' she said licking her lips, plucking some French fries out of the carton and stuffing them into her mouth. 'This is so good. This is so much better than sitting in a fancy restaurant. Good food, good company, beautiful night, what more could a girl ask for?' she smiled.

'Babe, you can ask for anything you want and I'll get it for you, anytime, anywhere' Joey replied in a whisper so quietly that Lauren didn't hear it. Lauren took another huge bite of her burger and moaned happily again. After Lauren had demolished her burger and her fries and half of Joey's fries too, they went for a walk on the beach. Joey held her hand as they walked, his fingers entwined with hers. 'How do you feel now?' he asked her.

'Good' she nodded her head 'I needed food' she told him as she stopped walking and looked out towards the sea. 'God, it's so beautiful here' she whispered softly. Joey smiled, nodding his head.

'Yeah, it is' he agreed as Lauren let go of his hand and walked towards the sea. He followed her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. 'You don't get sights like this in London' he told her softly.

'No, that's very true. You don't' she said with a smile as she felt Joey's lips nuzzling her neck. 'There's a river that runs through Walford and it's not really somewhere you should go at night…or during the day for that matter…' she added with a frown 'it's usually inhabited by drunks or people shooting up drugs. On rare occasions dead bodies have been found floating in it'

'Sounds…romantic' Joey told her.

'I've had many romantic moonlit strolls along the river…having obscenities yelled at me whilst I've been kissing my then boyfriend. I've even been dumped there once' she told him 'a sympathetic homeless guy offered me a drink and a half eaten doughnut as well as threatening to beat up the guy' she told him with a shrug of her shoulders and a small smile.

Joey laughed 'I bet you considered the offer' he said.

Lauren leant back against him 'I did… for all of a minute, but revenge always feels better when you dish it out yourself'

'What did you do?' Joey's voice whispered in her ear as he kissed her neck.

'I pushed him into the river' Lauren replied 'made me feel so much better'

'I'll bet' he replied with a smile. 'You really want to go back there? To Walford?' he asked her softly.

'I have to go back and face the music eventually' she told him with a sigh, tilting her head to one side to give him better access to her neck.

'Well, you don't have to do that today' Joey said in between kisses. 'You have another 5 weeks before you have to go back…so…have you sobered up yet?' he murmured in her ear 'can we go back to mine and have sex now?'

'Yes I have and yes we can' she replied, turning round in his arms and slipping her arms around his neck 'now please' she told him.

Joey grinned at her 'come on then'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren woke up early the next morning and peered at the bedside clock, the red digital numbers told her it was 4:00am. She climbed out of bed and used the bathroom. As she sat on the toilet she saw Joey's toothpaste and toothbrush and decided she wanted to clean her teeth, freshen up her mouth a little bit. Moments later, feeling a little fresher, she returned to the bedroom. She glanced out of the small window and saw the moon was shining so brightly in the sky, there was enough light shining into the room for her to be able to see. She took some time to look around the room, the place was decorated sparsely but she liked it, it was too small a place to have too much stuff littered around anyway and it would make the place looked cluttered. She snuck a glance over her shoulder making sure that Joey was still sleeping, happy he was, she walked over to a small chest of drawers and pulled the top drawer open, peering inside. She frowned, momentarily surprised by what she saw. She dipped her hand inside and when she pulled it out a fluorescent pink thong dangled from her fingers. She dropped the offending item as soon as she realised what it was, pushing the drawer shut with a slam when she heard Joey stirring behind her.

'Lauren?' he mumbled sleepily as he looked up at her. 'What are you doing?'

'I…er…I needed the bathroom' she stammered, spinning round quickly as her face flooded with guilt and she turned red.

Joey reached across to the bedside table and turned on the lamp, lighting the room. 'The bathrooms over there' he nodded his head to the other side of the room as he pulled himself to sit up.

'Yeah, I…I know' she nodded her head and licked her lips. She crossed over to the bed and climbed back under the covers. Joey stared at the chest of drawers she'd been standing in front of, a little bit of pink material was sticking out of the top drawer and he knew it hadn't been there earlier.

'Have you been snooping?' he asked her, a hint of amusement in her voice.

'No, of course not' she answered a little too quickly, her cheeks flamed red, giving her lie away.

'Yes you have' he nodded his head, he could see she was a little surprised by what she'd found in the drawer 'look, I can explain' he told her.

'You don't owe me an explanation' she said shaking her head.

'No? Because you're not freaking out over what you saw in the drawer?' he asked her 'the drawer you weren't snooping in?' he added unnecessarily.

Lauren sat up and she turned her back on Joey 'I should go' she said.

'Go? Why would you want to go?' he frowned.

'I should probably go back to the hotel, check on Lucy…' she fumbled around on the floor for her clothes and started to pull them on.

'It's not what you're thinking' Joey told her, leaning back against the headboard.

'How could you possible know what thoughts are running through my head right now?' Lauren replied with a shaky voice.

'Well, you're either thinking that I'm a cross dresser or that I get off sexually wearing that stuff…when in fact there's a perfectly normal and reasonable explanation.' Joey told her. Lauren stood up and pulled on her dress 'Lauren, stop! Listen to me, please' Joey begged her.

Lauren sighed and turned to look at him and then marched back to the drawer and opened it again, pulling out the item she'd seen earlier. 'There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this?' the pink thong dangled from her forefinger.

'Yes. I'm a stripper' Joey replied casually.

 **AN: I'm sorry, Joey. You're a what now? Well that's an interesting turn of events…I wonder how Lauren is going to take this news particularly as she doesn't like strippers…I wonder how that made Joey feel when she told him that when they first met! Thanks for all your reviews, I haven't been able to reply to them as the reviews weren't showing on the fanfiction site, but there are now! Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Twelve.**

Lauren blinked at him as his words sunk in and bounced around her head. 'I'm sorry? You're a what?' she frowned at him.

'My life, pre here. I was a stripper. Full time' he told her. 'Me and a group of seven other guys used to tour and do shows' he explained to her 'Every now and then I take on a stripping gig here. Hen parties…divorce parties…you know, that kind of thing'

'You're a stripper?' Lauren repeated slowly.

'Yep' he nodded his head 'I haven't had a gig here for about 3 months though. The bar keeps me pretty busy and it's not like I need to make extra cash now' he looked at her. She looked down at the pink thong in her hand and dropped it back into the drawer. 'It's not a big deal' Joey told her with a shrug.

Lauren closed the drawer 'why didn't you tell me?'

'It never came up' Joey said to her 'and I wasn't expecting you to go snooping through my drawers in the early hours of the morning'

'Did you like it? Stripping, I mean?' she asked him, deciding to sidestep the whole snooping issue.

'I wouldn't have done it if I didn't enjoy it' Joey said to her 'I don't do the Full Monty, not like some other solo acts do, although I did when I was in the group'

'Full Monty?' Lauren frowned, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.

Joey nodded his head and climbed out of bed 'Have you not seen the film?' she shook her head and he smiled 'The full monty is when you strip naked' he explained.

'Oh' Lauren replied. Joey put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her. 'It's just a drawer full of costumes' he told her 'that's all, for when I strip. I'm not into kink, babe' he told her. 'I swear!'

Lauren's face flushed again, feeling guilty for snooping and thinking the worst. 'I'm sorry' she said to him 'I shouldn't have been snooping. I woke up and went to the bathroom and then I was wide awake' she told him 'I jumped to conclusions'

'I can see how you made that leap' he nodded in understanding. 'Are you okay now? Are you going to stay or do you want me to walk you back to the hotel?' Joey's thumbs grazed her cheeks as he spoke to her.

'I'd like to stay' she whispered.

Joey smiled at her 'good, because I have no idea where my jeans are' he whispered 'come back to bed' he added kissing her softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

When they woke up a couple of hours later Lauren stretched and rolled onto her side to look at Joey 'Are you okay?' he asked her.

'Yes' she nodded her head 'I'm really sorry I freaked out…and snooped' she told him.

'So you should be' he scolded her playfully. 'Do you want to see the other costumes?' he asked her with a grin, already knowing what her answer would be.

She glanced towards the drawers and shook her head 'No…'

'Has it scared you off?' he asked her. 'Me being a stripper?' he looked at her. 'I remember you saying you don't like strippers'

'It hasn't scared me off' she told him honestly 'I like you, Joey and I don't care that you're a part time stripper. It doesn't define who you are' she said softly 'I was just surprised is all'

'I was planning on telling you' Joey told her 'it's not a secret…I'm not ashamed of stripping'

'Well you certainly have the body for it' she told him with a smile 'So you said you don't strip naked?' she asked him.

'No, not anymore' he shook his head 'in my experience the tips are bigger if you leave them wanting more' he said.

'Do women actually put money into your g-string?' Lauren asked him.

'Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes they put their phone numbers in too' he said shaking his head with a smile.

Lauren nodded her head 'do you…do you give lap dances?' she asked him.

'No, not as a rule. But if you want one I could make an exception' he teased her, moving forward to kiss her softly.

'I'm good thanks' she told him, shaking her head as her cheeks turned pink.

Joey smiled at her 'maybe you could come and watch me?' he asked her.

'I don't know about that, Joey' she said her face flushing even redder as she thought about it. 'I think it'd be a little awkward' she told him. 'Watching other girls paw all over you'

'It's not like that' Joey told her shaking his head 'I stay on the stage the whole time. The audience doesn't get to touch me'

'But I thought you said they put money in your g-string?' she was confused again.

'When I was in the group yeah, safety in numbers and all that' he told her. Lauren chewed on her bottom lip 'I thought you said you haven't had a gig for 3 months'

'I might have one next Saturday' Joey told her with a smile 'why are you thinking about coming to watch?'

'I wouldn't put you off?' she raised her head to look at him.

'Nope' he shook his head, leaning forward to kiss her softly. 'How about some breakfast?' he asked her, changing the subject.

'Please' she nodded her head with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren went back to the hotel alone after breakfast with Joey, fortunately Lucy wasn't there, much to Lauren's relief. She sat down on the bed and pulled out her phone, calling home.

'Hello?' her dad's voice filled her ear.

'Hi dad, it's me' she said with a smile, pleased to hear her father's voice.

'Lauren? Is that you?' he asked surprised to hear from her. 'Is everything okay?' he asked worriedly.

'Yeah, I just thought I'd call to see how things are there?' she said to him.

'Things are okay here, we're missing you. Are you enjoying Hawaii?' he asked her 'You and Lucy are having a good time?'

'Lucy's…she's…' she sighed and trailed off, not wanting to tell her dad how much of a bitch she was being 'yeah dad, we're having a great time' Lauren lied to him 'how's…how's Stuart?' she asked him softly. 'Has he said anything?'

'Well, he's a lot calmer now than he was when I made the announcement you weren't coming' Max said to her.

'Was he really mad?' Lauren whispered, already knowing the answer to the question.

'We don't need to talk about this now, we can talk about it when you get home' Max told her 'you just enjoy the holiday. Get a tan and surf and do whatever they do in Hawaii' he told her.

'Is mum mad?' Lauren closed her eyes as she thought about her mother's temper.

'No, sweetheart, your mother isn't mad. Not at you. She only wanted you to be happy and she's realised now that marrying Stuart wouldn't make you happy, then she's glad you called it off. She wasn't very impressed with your timing but I've talked to her and she's okay'

'Will you tell her I'm sorry?' Lauren asked him.

'Of course I will, but you don't need to be, you have nothing to be sorry for' Max told her softly. 'Stop worrying about things here and enjoy yourself in Hawaii. You take some time for yourself and clear your head a little and we'll see you when you get back okay?'

'Okay, thanks dad' Lauren smiled 'I love you'

'I love you too, babe' Max replied 'we'll talk soon'

Lauren hung up the phone as Lucy came into the room. The two girls looked at each other and then Lucy walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Lauren rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to deal with Lucy today so she decided she wasn't going to. She left the hotel and headed to the beach instead.

 **AN Well I think once the initial shock of finding out what Joey used to do and sometimes dabbles in, plus the embarrassment and guilt at being caught snooping passed that Lauren's taken the news pretty well… back tomorrow for another chapter… don't forget to leave me a review…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Thirteen**

Joey was worried when he didn't see Lauren at the bar all night. He'd looked around the beach several times to see if she was approaching but was disappointed that she wasn't around. At 1:00am he decided to call it a night, he pulled the shutters down on the bar and started to clear up, collecting abandoned glasses from nearby. When he'd gathered them all up he walked into the bar, pausing in the doorway when he saw Lauren sitting on the bar stool 'Hi' she said softly.

'Hi' he said, pausing in the doorway briefly. 'I wasn't sure I was going to be seeing you tonight, it's late'

'I'm sorry…I can go…' she said, misunderstanding what he meant, she slid off the stool intending to leave. Joey hurriedly put the glasses down on the bar, turning and grabbing her hand.

'No…no, I didn't mean that, I meant I didn't think I was going to see you tonight' he said quickly, pulling her back inside, reaching out and closing the door. 'I was going to come over to the hotel to see if you were okay' he told her. 'How were things with Lucy?' he asked her.

'We haven't spoken' Lauren said 'she came into the room about twenty minutes after I got back, glared at me for a bit and then locked herself in the bathroom. She's giving me the cold shoulder' Lauren told him.

'Because of what you said last night?' he asked her, surprised that someone could act that way.

'Probably yeah' she nodded her head, 'she knows how to hold a grudge'

'Maybe a drink can put a smile on your face' he suggested.

Lauren shook her head 'I'm not thirsty, but thanks' she said to him. 'I probably shouldn't have come over, I'm going to be bad company'

'Bad company is better than no company' he replied. Lauren looked up at him.

'I guess' she sighed.

'This thing between you and Lucy has really bothered you?' he asked her in concern.

'Lucy? No, I'm used to Lucy's moods' Lauren shrugged. 'I called home earlier, spoke to dad'

'Ah…' Joey nodded his head in understanding. 'And how are things back home?'

'Dad says they're fine' she said 'and then told me to enjoy the rest of my trip'

'And you've spent the day worrying if things are really fine and wondering if your dad is telling you the truth about things being fine and you're thinking you should cut short the holiday and go home' he said knowingly.

'In a nutshell, yes' Lauren nodded her head, 'and feeling guilty that I ran away and left mum and dad to face everyone and clear up my mess. His parent's must have been furious' she frowned. 'He must have been furious…' she trailed off.

'Yes, they probably were. And he probably was too' he said putting his hands on her shoulders, she looked up at him 'but, you walked away from a marriage that was destined to fail. You've saved everyone a lot of misery and heartache, including you. In the long run they'll see that' he told her softly 'you know you did the right thing, don't you?' he asked her.

'Yes' she whispered as her eyes fell to his lips. She took a deep breath 'for one thing I wouldn't have met you…or I would've met you but I would have been newly married…' she told him. 'And I would have spent my whole honeymoon thinking about you…wanting you' she said softly.

Joey smiled 'We don't need to worry about that, do we? We did meet and you're not married and neither am I. We're not hurting anyone are we?'

'No' she said shaking her head. 'No we're not'

'No' he repeated. 'I'll tell you what, I'll take the day off again tomorrow and see if I can put a smile on your face, try to get you to forget what may or may not be going on at home? How does that sound?' he asked her.

'That sounds really great, Joey' Lauren smiled up at him.

'Good, then it's a date' he told her, moving forward to kiss her softly. 'I'll clear up this mess later, how about we go back to mine?' he asked her.

'Are you sure you don't mind?' Lauren asked him anxiously 'I seem to be spending every night there'

'I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't want you there' he told her with a smile. 'Come on' he held out his hand to her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren sighed as she sat down on the bed watching Joey as he moved around the room. He went into the bathroom and came back a few minutes later wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. 'Bathrooms free' he told her. Lauren smiled, getting up and disappearing inside. A few minutes later Lauren came out wearing Joey's discarded t-shirt. He looked up at her from the bed, smiling as he flipped back the covers. Lauren climbed into the bed, moving into Joey's arms, laying her head on his chest. He smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Lauren's eyes drifted shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

 **AN: Poor Lauren, she's been feeling awful about Stuart all day and her best friend is giving her the cold shoulder instead of being there for her like best friends should be. So she sought comfort with Joey, who seems to be a better best friend that Lucy is….back tomorrow with another chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fourteen**

When Lauren wok the next morning, Joey was still lying beside her, watching her. A slow sexy smile spread across his face as her eyes opened fully. 'Morning' he said huskily.

'Morning' Lauren replied with a smile.

'Are you hungry?' he asked her, Lauren shook her head as Joey's arm snaked around her waist, urging her closer to him.

'Me either' Joey replied 'maybe we can go out later for breakfast?' he suggested.

'Sounds like a plan' she whispered softly 'in the meantime?' she looked at him expectantly.

'In the meantime, I thought we could do this' he whispered when his hand slipped underneath the back of her t-shirt as he drew her into a kiss.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Over the next five weeks Joey and Lauren spent as much time together as they could. They didn't need to worry about Lucy finding out about them as she was too busy giving Lauren the cold shoulder and spending her time "getting to know" the local men on the Island.

But, the day finally came that Lauren and Lucy had to go home to Walford.

Lauren and Joey had spent her last day together, mainly in bed. Lauren was upset that she couldn't spend the night with him as she needed to pack her things. Lucy also spent the night in the hotel so Lauren couldn't sneak out to see Joey, much to her dismay. She missed him already and she hadn't even left Hawaii yet. They'd said their goodbyes earlier, before she returned to the hotel, and now, as Lauren was lying awake in her bed, she was replaying their last moments together in her head.

Their goodbye had been bittersweet. She knew she wasn't going to see him again. She wouldn't be able to afford to come back to Hawaii for long time…if ever. She needed to get a job first, a good well paid job and those were few and far between in Walford. She couldn't move somewhere it would be easier for her to get a job because she had no money to pay for anywhere to live so she was really stuck in a catch 22 situation. She also knew that Joey wouldn't visit her in Walford, she was aware he hadn't been back to England since he'd discovered his best friend and fiancée in bed together. There was no reason for him to go back there, he had a happy and successful life in Hawaii. Besides, in the weeks they'd spent together he hadn't mentioned anything about wanting to stay in touch with her or even about visiting her. She needed to see things for what they were. A holiday romance nothing more. She sighed and rolled over in the bed again, she knew she'd be getting no sleep tonight.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy and Lauren doubled checked their room one last time before descending to the lobby and checking out. A taxi was already waiting for them as they wheeled their suitcases out of the place they'd called home for the last six weeks. The driver packed their cases in the taxi as Lauren looked towards the sea.

'Are you okay?' Lucy asked her, breaking her silence and talking to Lauren.

'I'm going to miss it here' Lauren whispered softly.

'Yeah, me too. It's a shame we have to go back to dreary old Walford' Lucy said. 'Maybe we can come back?' she suggested hopefully.

'Maybe…one day' Lauren nodded her head and she glanced at Lucy.

'Hey. Everything's going to be okay when we get back' Lucy told her 'If Stuart so much as looks as though he's going to say anything to you I'll punch him in the face' Lucy said 'You've made your decision and he's had six weeks to get used to it and if he doesn't like it…well that's just tough shit' she said. 'Come on, the taxi's waiting for us, we don't want to miss our flight' Lucy slipped her arm through Lauren's and led her to the car.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

At the airport, Lucy decided to walk round the duty free shop, leaving Lauren in the departure lounge with their carry-on luggage. Lauren wished she'd had a chance to see Joey before she left, there was so much she wanted to say to him, but now it was too late. She didn't even have his phone number so she couldn't call him or text him before she got on the plane. She didn't even know the address of the bar, or his house so she couldn't write to him either once she got home. She realised she had no way of contacting him and that thought made her blood run cold. She really was never going to see him again.

'Lauren!' she heard someone call her name, she frowned and looked around, scanning the crowd for the owner of the voice. 'Lauren!' they shouted again. She stood up, turning round and saw Joey making his way through the swarm of people towards her. Lauren stood frozen to the spot. He was here. She couldn't believe he was here. 'Lauren!' he said softly as he reached her, 'I thought I was going to be too late' he told her 'I had to see you before you left…I…' he blinked at her.

'I wanted to see you too' Lauren whispered, throwing her arms around his neck 'I'm going to miss you so much, Joey' she confessed to him.

'I'm going to miss you too' he replied, hugging her tightly. Closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent and tried to imprint how it felt to have her in his arms into his memory. 'These last six weeks have been the best I've had for a long time' he told her truthfully.

'Me too. I've enjoyed spending time with you' she told him softly.

'Is that all you've enjoyed?' he teased her, pulling her back to look at him.

'No, of course not' she said as a faint blush colouring her cheeks. Joey reached out, stroking her cheek with his fingertips. 'I've enjoyed working behind the bar' she said with a grin, causing Joey to laugh.

'I walked into that one didn't I?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head.

'Yeah, you kind of did' she replied smiling up at him. The two of them stared into each other's eyes and Joey cupped her cheek in his hand, drawing her into a kiss. He intended for the kiss to be short and brief because he needed to talk to her. He needed to tell her that he wanted to stay in touch with her, make plans to visit her in London. He deepened the kiss, pulling her even closer to him. He could feel the lines of her body pressed against his. He was going to miss this girl so much, they both moaned softly and Joey reluctantly ended the kiss. They both stared at each other, a smile on their faces.

'Oh my God!' a surprised exclamation tore them away from each other, they both turned to see Lucy staring at them opened mouthed.

'Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now' Lauren said softly.

'I guess it is' Joey nodded his head. A PA announcement informed them that their flight to London was ready for departure and all passengers were asked to make their way to gate number 12. Lauren turned to look at Joey.

'That's me' she told him softly. He nodded his head sadly.

'Yeah, it is' he said to her softly. He bent his head and kissed her again. Neither of them knew how much time had passed before Lucy hissed at Lauren that they'd just announced last boarding and they had to go or they would miss the flight. Lauren sighed, pulling away from Joey to gaze up at him sadly.

'I have to go' she told him. He nodded his head once more. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. They had so much to say but were both unable to say it. Joey smiled at the girl in front of him, wiping away a tear that had escaped from her eyes. Lauren turned away from him and grabbed her case and followed Lucy towards the barrier. Joey pushed his hands into his pockets as he watched her walk away from him. A rustling of paper reminded him he'd written down his address and phone number on a piece of paper for her.

'Lauren!' he called out, but she didn't hear him. She disappeared around the corner out of his view. He turned and trudged out of the airport disheartened.

 **AN: Little bit of a fast forward in this chapter…Back tomorrow with another chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Fifteen**

Lucy and Lauren had been back in Walford for a month. Lauren had been unsuccessful in finding a job and her savings were running out quickly. Things were beginning to look as though she was going to have to move back home to her parent's house and that was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Not that she didn't love her parents…she did. She just didn't want to live with them or her 13- year sister Abi, who had managed to master teenage strops already. Lauren knew she was going to have to take the first job she was able to get so she at least had some money coming in. She was seeing Alfie Moon in half an hour so she was hoping she was going to get a cleaning job at the pub, it wasn't exactly highly paid but it would be enough to tide her over for the time being.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Her first meeting with Stuart had occurred in the Queen Victoria pub, her local, during a reunion with her friends, a few nights after her return from Hawaii. Lucy was currently regaling them with stories about Hawaii. Lucy did, however, leave the part out about Joey, much to Lauren's relief. Stuart had been drinking round the other side of the bar and heard them all laughing and joking. He got up off the bar stool, a little unsteady on his feet, staggering round to the table where they all sat.

'You're back then' he slurred his words.

Lauren looked up at him 'Stuart…' everyone in the Vic seemed to stop talking and stared at the two of them.

'Don't' he shook his head 'don't you dare tell me that you can explain. That you did what was best for us' he snapped at her angrily. 'You did what was best for you…you selfish self-centred selfish bitch' so drunk he repeated his words to her.

'Don't you dare talk to her like that!' Lucy exclaimed jumping to her feet and standing up for her best friend, just like she'd promised Lauren she would as they were leaving Hawaii. 'She was miserable with you and after a few months of marriage you would've been miserable too. She saved you both from making a huge mistake and you know it! You should be thanking her not standing there calling her names. If anyone should be called names it's you. You half-witted, alcoholic moron!'

Lauren bit her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud at Lucy's name calling. Stuart was hardly a half-wit. He was a very successful solicitor and he wasn't an alcoholic, he just couldn't hold his drink. Lauren was pretty sure, however, that he was a moron. He must be if he couldn't have seen Lauren was unhappy. Lauren took Lucy's hand in hers and squeezed gently, causing her friend to look at her. This wasn't her fight, it was Lauren's.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren stood up and took a few steps closer to Stuart 'I'm sorry' she told him softly. 'Hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do' she said. 'I thought I would be able to go through with it, mum said it was just pre-wedding jitters or something but I knew…I knew it wasn't' she looked at Stuart. 'Maybe we can talk? Tomorrow? When you've sobered up a little bit?' she suggested. Stuart looked at her, the woman he loved and the fight drained out of him, he nodded his head.

'Okay' he said quietly 'when?'

'At midday?'

'Where?'

'The flat' she told him. Stuart nodded his head once more before turning and walking out of the pub.

'Are you okay?' Lucy asked Lauren quietly as the people in the pub started to talk amongst themselves again.

'Yes' she nodded her head 'thank you for sticking up for me'

'It's what best friends do isn't it?' Lucy asked her. Lauren smiled and nodded once. 'Do you want me to be there tomorrow?' she asked.

'No. I think this is something that I need to do by myself, but thank you for offering' she said as the two girls hugged.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy had been watching the way Lauren was moping around the place after she'd met with Stuart. She realised that Lauren was probably missing Joey, and when she questioned her about it she was surprised to discover the two of them hadn't exchanged addresses. Lucy thought she might have a way to rectify this but didn't say anything to Lauren about it in case she wasn't able to pull it off.

A week later Lucy had given Lauren an early birthday present (as she put it) and pressed a piece of paper into her hand, telling her she'd got it from one of the local girls she'd become friendly with when they were in Hawaii and she hoped it would make Lauren happy. When Lauren unfolded the piece of paper she found the address to the bar written on it. Lauren hugged Lucy and told her she was brilliant and amazing and then headed straight home. She rummaged around in the drawers in the bureau and found some paper and envelopes. Sitting down on the sofa she wrote Joey a letter. She even managed to post it the same day. All she had to do now was wait to see if he would reply.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey opened his mailbox and pulled out the pile of letters inside. He knew he should really make a conscious effort to collect his post on a more regular basis, but his post mainly consisted of begging letters from his mother asking him to come home, angry letters from his father telling him that only cowards run away from their problems and he should man up and get home and the odd letter from his sister Alice. He also had the odd bill here and there too. He couldn't remember the last time he'd collected the post, but judging by the large pile he held in his hands it must've been more than three months ago. He locked up his post box and headed to the bar, flicking through the letters as he walked.

He found one with handwriting he didn't recognise. He frowned and looked at the postmark. It was from Walford. He didn't know anyone in Walford. He looked up as he reached the bar, unlocked it and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the stool, discarding his keys and the other letters and tore it open. Turning the pages until he found a familiar name at the bottom of the letter. It was signed with the name Lauren.

Joey's heart pounded fast in his chest as he looked at the envelope. The postmark was from a month ago. He frowned, he would really need to check his post box more regularly. He turned back the pages of the letter and he started to read.

 **Dear Joey**

 **You have no idea how difficult it was to get your address. I should've asked you for it before I left. I planned to and to ask if it was okay if we kept in touch, but then someone distracted me (mentioning no names) and I lost all train of thought. I hope it's okay that I've written to you and I also hope you've got it and its not being read by a random stranger, who is going to write back pretending to be you. Even worse I hope he's not going to show up on my doorstep!**

 **There were so many things I wanted to say to you at the airport and I got the impression you wanted to talk too? I got quizzed on the plane on the way home for over an hour by Lucy after she witnessed our none-too subtle goodbye kiss. I didn't tell her anything though, she's not well known for being a keeper of secrets, quite the opposite in fact. Not that I'm saying I want to keep you a deep dark secret, I just don't want my memories of you to be tainted by Lucy's opinions and views.**

 **So, I hope the bar is keeping you busy and you're raking in the money because I'm holding you to your promise of a visit. Just remember to take some time out for you, all work and no play and all that…. Life back in Walford is pretty much the same as it was before I left, well except for the having a fiancée part. I've been looking for jobs but so far I've not had any luck, there's not much going, not what I want to do anyway. If I wanted to clean toilets for a living, then I'd be raking in the money! I've got a part time job in the local pub and talked the landlord into having a cocktail night once a month, which are a roaring success. You taught me well master!**

 **I miss Hawaii, I miss the white sands and the blue ocean. I miss helping you in the bar…I miss you.**

 **Anyway, my address is at the top of the letter so if you want to write back you have no excuse not to! I look forward to hearing from you and about life in Hawaii.**

 **I hope you write back.**

 **Lauren.**

 **AN: Well, the last month back in Walford has been pretty eventful for Lauren, she's not really having much like in the job department, but she has secured a part time job in the Vic. She's met with Stuart and Lucy's given her Joey's address after contacting someone in Hawaii…so it looks as though she is a good friend after all! I wonder if Joey's going to reply! Back tomorrow with another chapter…don't forget to leave me a review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Sixteen**

Lauren saw the postmark from Hawaii on the letter and she grinned to herself as her heart pounded in her chest. He'd written back to her. After a month had passed, she'd almost given up hope he was going to reply to her. Her heart soared in her chest and she couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, she had a shift at the Vic to get through first. She pushed the letter into her purse, grabbing her coat and heading to the door.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren thought the shift was never going to end. It was a slow night, courtesy of the new club opening around the corner. All the patrons of the Vic had been lured over to the opening thanks to the owners offering free cocktails all night. She'd hoped Alfie would give her the rest of the night off but he and his on again/off again wife had gone to check out the competition, leaving her essentially in charge. There was only one person in the Vic, other than her, and that was Dot and she'd been sipping the same small sweet sherry for the last hour and a half and Lauren was bored. She was beyond bored. She glanced around the Vic and decided to go and get Joey's letter to read. She took it back to the bar and ripped open the envelope and started to read.

 **Dear Lauren**

 **I've been kicking myself for the last three months for not giving you my address. I had it written down on a piece of paper in my pocket and I didn't remember to give it to you at the airport. Since I got your letter I've been walking around with a big grin on my face. It was an unexpected but very welcome surprise.**

 **You were right, there were things I wanted to say to you at the airport, so many things, but I got distracted with the goodbye kiss…I wanted to tell you meeting you was one of the best things that'd ever happened to me. I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed the time we spent together and I wanted to thank you for restoring my faith in the female species of the world. And no, before you ask I'm still not making a habit of sleeping with my female clientele…you're still the first…the only.**

 **Life here is just the same too. Sunny, unbearably hot, gorgeous blue sea and perfect white sands…I am also still fianceé less, which, actually now I think about it, is a blessing! I had a few days off last week to top up my tan! Work is busy and I'm making money hand over fist, which is why I took some time for me last week…just like you told me to.**

 **It's good to hear you still want me to visit and I am so totally planning to come and see you. It'll be your turn to be the tour guide and show me all the interesting places where you live. I'd like to meet that homeless guy…with the doughnut and drink…by the river. LOL!**

 **I'm glad to hear my cocktail lessons are paying off, you're a natural behind the bar. There's a job here for you whenever you want it, just so you know.**

 **Don't worry about not finding the perfect job straightaway, it'll come. Good things are worth waiting for. You don't want to rush and get a job that you hate. You'll only end up stuck in the rat race and become dull and boring and we don't want that.**

 **I'm looking forward to receiving your next letter.**

 **Oh… and one more thing….I miss you too.**

 **Joey.**

Lauren grinned as she re-folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. He missed her too and he was pleased she'd written to him. She glanced around the Vic again and realised Dot had gone. The Vic was empty. She looked at the clock behind the bar, it was 9:30pm. Lauren raced upstairs and found a pen and paper and took it back downstairs and started to write her reply to Joey.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

By the time Alfie and Kat came back to the Vic Lauren had finished the letter. She tucked it away in her handbag, making a mental note to herself to post it tomorrow. Alfie and Kat let her go home after paying her for her shift, which she felt very guilty about because she'd only had one customer all night, Dot. Who'd only brought one drink, in fact the wages Lauren had been paid were more than the money they'd taken that night.

She made her way home and let herself quietly into the house and crept up the stairs to her bedroom.

The next day, Lauren walked to the post office and paid for the price of the stamps and airmail and posted the letter to Joey with a smile. She couldn't wait to get his reply.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey opened his post box with a nervous anticipation, just like he had done every single day for the past seven days. But unlike the other six days when he walked away empty handed, today there was a letter waiting in the box for him. He pulled it out and saw it was a letter from Lauren. He grinned and carried it back to his house, shutting the door and settling down on the bed as he tore open the envelope.

 **AN: So they're both pleased that they're writing to each other. That's a good thing right? They're both practically living from letter to letter, eagerly waiting a reply from the other…I wonder what Lauren wrote in her letter to Joey? There may be another chapter up for grabs tonight…Leave me a review.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Dear Joey**

 **I'm so pleased you replied. I've spent the last couple of weeks worried that I'd made a huge mistake in writing to you and that you wanted to forget me and the 6 weeks we spent together. I'm so jealous of your weather. We've had nothing but rain for the last 10 days, there have been flash floods all over the country. I now own more pairs of wellies than I do bikinis…not that there's much sun to warrant wearing a bikini in London.**

 **I'm writing this letter during my shift at the Vic, the local I told you I'd got a job in, and its dead in here tonight. There is exactly two people in the whole place. Me and some bible thumping gossiping old biddy who has been sipping the same small sweet sherry for the last hour and a half. There's a new nightclub that's opened up just around the corner from the Vic and they're giving away free cocktails on their opening night and everyone (except bible thumpers and me apparently) have gone to see what the fuss is about. I cannot tell you how unbelievably bored I am right now. But my boredom means I have the perfect opportunity to reply to your letter.**

 **Have you taken any stripping gigs lately? Do you need any new costumes? I saw a shop in the West End that sold "costumes" that you might like. I was going to go in and buy something for you but I was with Lucy and I didn't want her to start asking questions again, not since she's finally given up trying to get out of me what happened between us in those six weeks. Maybe when I next go up to the West End, I'll pluck up courage and go in and get something for you. Something to spice up your act a little.**

 **I've had to give up the flat I was living in due to lack of money which is due to more unsuccessful job interviews. So I'm now back at my parent's house, sharing a room with my little sister Abi. I miss the freedom to be able to do what I liked in my own space. I miss being able to hoover in my underwear or walk around naked whenever I want to. Mum tried to give me a curfew. I mean seriously! I'm 24 years old and she wants to me to be home by 11:30pm every night! The sooner I get a job the better. Dad's offered to pay me to help him with some office work at the car lot and I'm seriously thinking about taking him up on his offer, just so I can save up enough money to get a place of my own again.**

 **I bumped into Stuart the other day. He has a new girlfriend already, they're getting married in the spring apparently and she's pregnant. Sometimes I think I made a mistake in not going ahead with the wedding, but then I remember if I did marry him, I might not have met you.**

 **Okay this letter is turning into a pity party! Mum says I have to spend some time alone and get to know who I am. Then maybe the right guy will come along and I will have the happily ever after. I think mums got her head in the clouds, just because she got her happy ever after with dad doesn't mean the rest of us will. I mean who is going to want to go out with a 24 year-old living at home? One that's not allowed to bring boys back to the house?**

 **I miss sex.**

 **I miss you.**

 **I miss sex with you.**

 **Please tell me when you are coming to see me, you can swoop in on your big white horse and save me from a life of rain and boredom.**

 **Write soon.**

 **Lauren.**

Joey read the letter a couple more times before pulling out paper and pen from his bedside table and he started to write a reply.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Mum asked me to bring this through to you' Abi said as she walked into the room. Lauren looked up from the book she was reading in time to see Abi fling something at her. She caught it with a frown, just before it hit her in the face.

'Hey, watch it!' Lauren scowled at her sister as she looked at the item in her hand. She recognised the handwriting instantly and her face lit up. She headed up stairs to read the letter from Joey in the privacy of her bedroom…correction the bedroom she currently shared with Abi.

She carefully undid the envelope and started to read.

 **Dear Lauren**

 **I'm sorry to hear you've had to move back in with your parents, but at least you have a roof over your head. Mine refused to let me move back in after I broke things off with my fianceé. Hence me staying in Hawaii. Don't lose hope, it's only for a short period of time until you get yourself back on your feet again. Which I have every faith that you will do. Just give it some time.**

 **I'm intrigued about this "costume" you want to get for me. And I'm looking forward to receiving it with both fearful trepidation and excitement. God knows what you are going to pick out for me. If it's anything like the shirt you tried to buy for me I should be really worried! Also I'm not entirely sure my act needs "spicing up" as you put it. I do actually have a stripping gig at the Hotel you were staying at. A hen party with 27 guests. It's pretty good money and its going straight towards my "visit Lauren fund"**

 **Maybe you could try to get a job at the club. I'm sure your cocktail making skills would be utilised, clubs also pay more than the local pub (just saying). This bible bashing old biddy sounds intriguing…and one small sweet sherry all night? Really? You earned your money that night then! And you spent most if it writing to me. Glad to see you have your priorities right! Ha ha!**

 **I'm sorry to hear you're having crappy weather, it feels mean to tell you that we are still enjoying the blistering heat here and there's not a cloud in the sky. Is it wrong that I spent a good part of my day thinking about you in nothing but bikinis and wellies? I even got a little aroused thinking about it…Does that make me kinky? LOL! In all seriousness though, it makes me glad I'm living in Hawaii, I hate the rain. It's depressing and wet. It might also explain your "pity party" mood. You need to talk to your mum, tell her how you're feeling. Tell her you're not a child anymore and that this curfew is nonsense. I'm sure if you sit down and have an adult conversation with her everything will work out. I do, however, completely agree with her about you having boys back to the house…until I visit that is!**

 **Pity the girl who's ended up with Stuart. From what you've told me about him, you had a lucky escape. The right guy will come along for you, you're young and gorgeous and you never know you may already have met him. And he clearly wasn't that bothered about you if he's found someone else…and got them pregnant…already! His loss I say!**

 **I'm planning on coming out in the next couple of months, when I have a definite date I'll let you know.**

 **I miss you too (and sex with you).**

 **I'm looking forward to receiving my gift!**

 **Joey**

Lauren grinned. She'd already been back to the West End and brought said gift for Joey. It was currently hidden deep in her bottom drawer underneath a pile of art folders with clothes on top so no one should find it if they went snooping. She giggled as she imagined Abi's reaction if she did happen to find it, her giggling fading as she then imagined Abi taking it to her parents and her parent's reaction to it. She needed to send it to Joey as soon as possible.

Later that night, Lauren went to bed early so she could have some privacy from the rest of the family and write to Joey and get the parcel ready to be taken to the post office in the morning. She'd just finished her letter when the bedroom door opened and Abi came in. Lauren pushed the letter in the envelope and sealed it, putting it in her bag as her sister grabbed her nightclothes and went into the bathroom. Lauren was asleep by the time Abi returned some twenty minutes later.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey's lips travelled the length of Lauren's body, starting at her feet, moving up her legs, over her stomach, pausing for long pleasurable minutes on her breasts. Then moving higher, nibbling on her neck, then her earlobe.

'Joey….' she whispered impatiently. He laughed softly against her neck.

'All in good time, Lauren' he murmured softly as his hands skimmed over the side of her breasts, she wriggled beneath him. 'We have all night, remember?'

'Mmm' she moaned softly as he pressed his lips to hers. His hips pressed against hers as well and her lips quivered into a smile as she felt the costume she'd got him brushing against her stomach, his rigid cock held tightly within it. If she'd known how much he was going to love her present for him she'd have got him more than just this one. 'Joey, I want you…' she whimpered, staring up into his eyes.

'You do?' he asked her with a smirk.

'You know I do,' she giggled. He moved away from her and she started to follow him but he stopped her with a quick shake of his head. He sat back on his knees and she watched as he began to slowly remove the thong he was wearing. She bit her lip, the anticipation rising within her. It had been a long time since they'd done this and while he'd given her a warmup a few minutes earlier, she was very much looking forward to the main event. She moaned as the fastenings for the thong fell away from his body and he cradled the material over his cock, hiding himself from her. 'That's not fair, Joey…' she breathed.

'It's your present… I thought you should be the one to unwrap it…' he told her.

Lauren's mouth ran dry and she glanced up at his face, seeing the desire in his eyes as he looked at her intensely. 'Oh…' she murmured. He held his other hand out towards her and she took it, letting him pull her up from the bed. She let her eyes run down his body until they settled on his… 'goods'. She reached for him and covered his hand, 'My turn…' she whispered. He started to chuckle but it died in his throat as she pulled away the thong and then wrapped her fingers around his length, stroking him firmly.

'Babe…' he breathed.

She lay back on the bed, ever so gently tugging on his cock to encourage him to follow her. He leant over her, closing his eyes as she continued to rub him, 'Are you going to put that to good use?' she asked him.

'I could probably be persuaded…' he replied. He moved away from her again to sit on the bed beside where she lay. Lauren rolled over in the bed, reaching for Joey.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren turned and reached for Joey frowned when her hand fell on the bed and not the solid body she'd expected to find there. She opened her eyes, wondering where he was. Perhaps he'd gone out to get breakfast for them before she woke. She knew he was an earlier riser. She stretched and rolled into her back with a smile, closing her eyes once more. She was looking forward to Joey returning. She opened her eyes again and as the room came into focus, she realised she was in the bedroom she currently shared with her sister, Abi. Joey wasn't out fetching breakfast and he wouldn't be back anytime soon. The happiness she'd been feeling when she first woke was fading like a lead balloon. She'd been missing Joey more and more and at night in her dreams, she was dreaming about him, about their time together in Hawaii. The letters he was sending her were also making her miss him more. She sighed unhappily. She was dwelling on the past and it was making her miserable. She needed to stop moping over Joey and move on with her life.

Half an hour later, Lauren emerged from the post office, her next letter and gift to Joey having been sent. She smiled to herself as she imagined his face when he got it. She shook her head with a sigh, yes…she was moving on all right. Not!

 **AN: Oh dear poor Lauren, she's really missing Joey, she's even dreaming about him now. Maybe she is right in thinking she needs to move on, after all he is hundreds of miles away…it's not like he can hope on plan and visit for the weekend is it? Still she sent the letter and the gift she bought him. I wonder what it is?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Eighteen**

Joey was intrigued when he got Lauren's next piece of correspondence. She'd sent him a parcel. He put it down on the bed and got a bottle of water from his mini fridge. He climbed onto the bed and sat up against the headboard and reached for the package. He ripped the paper off and an elephant shaped posing pouch fell out. He picked it up and roared with laughter, this was so typically Lauren! When he'd calmed down enough and wiped the tears from his eyes, he picked up Lauren's letter and started to read it.

 **Dear Joey**

 **As promised I've sent you the gift I found. I hope you like it.** **I've had it hidden in my drawer for a couple of days now, hoping that my sister didn't go snooping and find it and blurt out what I've got hiding in my bottom drawer to mum and dad. You know us Brannings have a tendency to snoop.**

 **There's not really much to tell you about what's going on here. Nothing really changes. It's always same old same old. Life in Walford is so beyond dull it amazes even me. Lucy is dating a new bloke called Gary, she claims he's a self-made millionaire but I've seen him working in the local McDonalds so he's clearly spinning her a pile of lies. And no, before you ask I'm not going to tell her, I've made the mistake of getting in between her and a bloke before…never again. She can figure it out for herself.**

 **I did what you suggested and I talked to mum about her rules and curfew and she basically told me "her house, her rules" and if I didn't like it then I could go and find somewhere else to live. So thanks for that bit of advice! I think she's still pissed off at me about the whole wedding fiasco…I found out a spot opened up by the river I told you about, I think one of the homeless men died** **So I'm considering my options right now!**

 **My life here sucks.**

 **I hate it here.**

 **I'm bored and lonely and depressed. I don't have any money to go out because I'm saving all I can to get a place of my own. At this rate though I'll have enough saved when I'm 98!**

 **I miss Hawaii and I miss you. When I went to Hawaii I was running away from my problems at home. I wasn't looking to meet anyone or to have a relationship with anyone but then I met you…and the time we spent together…I don't remember the last time I was that happy. I don't think I ever said thank you….**

 **Okay, I'm going to go now…I'm sounding dull and boring.**

 **PS. I hope you liked your gift! I think I got the right size!**

 **Lauren. XX**

Joey put down the letter, reaching for his own paper and pen and he started to reply back to her.

 **Dear Lauren.**

 **I love the posing pouch you sent me. I may even use it during my next gig. Would you like a photo of me in it, because I'm sure that can be arranged! By the way they come in one size fits all!**

 **I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough time, I wish there was something that I could do to help you. There's always a place for you to stay and a job here in Hawaii. All you need is a plane ticket. Maybe I can help with that? I have some money saved up. If it's any consolation, everything here is same old same old too. It's dull and hot and dull and boring. I have no life. I basically live to work. Yesterday I went all day without talking to anyone. It's a pretty lonely existence out here sometimes. Yes, I know I could go home but there's nothing there for me anymore. I guess the feeling sorry for ourselves thing is catching even all these miles apart!**

 **Did you see if you could get a job at the club? It's unsociable hours but the money is great. Trust me! You'd have some money saved in no time. Especially if you take double shifts. You've got nothing left to lose.**

 **I miss you too. Maybe we can talk on the phone? Here's my number,** **808 554 2267 you need to dial 001 in front of it. I look forward to talking to you soon.**

 **Joey**

He folded the pages and pushed them inside an envelope and sealed it.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

A week later, Joey was sitting behind the bar. He was closed for the day doing a stocktake and thinking about remodelling, not that there was to remodel, he was just bored with the way it looked. His phone rang and he glanced at it. He didn't recognise the number and almost didn't answer it, in case it was his dad ringing to give him a hard time but something made him swipe the call answer button.

'Hello, Joey Matthews' he said.

'Hi Joey…it's me…it's Lauren' a nervous voice filled his ear.

'Lauren?! Hey!?' he grinned, dropping his pen onto the clipboard, stocktake and remodelling forgotten in an instant. 'I was wondering if you'd call' he said to her. 'Wait…it's 3pm here so it's 1am there. You can't sleep?' he asked her.

'I wasn't sure of the time difference' Lauren said sheepishly 'so…I could have called earlier?'

'Yeah a few hours or so' he replied with a small laugh.

'Crap. I waited up and everything' she told him, sounding a little annoyed with herself.

'Why are you whispering?' Joey asked her with a soft laugh.

'I'm downstairs at my parents, in the lounge, I need to keep my voice down so I don't wake anyone up' she told him. 'So what are you up to?'

'Stocktaking' he told her 'thinking about remodelling the bar' he said 'and avoiding my dad's calls'

'Why are you avoiding your dad's calls?' she asked him.

'He wants me to come back to London. Settle down and get a proper job' Joey told her.

'Maybe you should invite your parents out to Hawaii, let them see how well you're doing. Let them see how happy you are there…and see the bar you're running' she suggested to him.

'Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. My dad's really going to love the hut I live in isn't he?'

'I did' Lauren said to him 'you have everything you need in it…except a kitchen'

'I don't need a kitchen' he told her 'I eat for free at most places in the area' he reminded her.

'I can see why you don't want to leave' Lauren said to him softly. 'You said it yourself, there's nothing in London for you to come back for is there'

Joey licked his lips, there's you, he thought to himself. 'I really miss you, Lauren'

'I miss you too' she said softly 'and I miss Hawaii. I wish I could come back'

'You should. You could stay. Help me run the bar' he suggested.

'You'd pay me?' Lauren asked him in surprise 'you can afford that?'

'Well…no…not exactly' Joey said to her 'I mean I can support us both on the money that the bar brings in…just…I might have to take some more stripping gigs to make ends meet'

'That'll make your dad even happier, that you're supporting a girl you barely know' Lauren said with sigh 'and you're taking your clothes off to do it!'

'I think I know you pretty well' he said to her with a smile.

Lauren heard movement from upstairs and she frowned 'Joey…I'm sorry, I've got to go. I think I've woken someone up' she whispered as she heard the stairs creak as someone came down them. 'I'll try and call you again some other time' she told him 'Bye…' she hung up before he had a chance to answer him.

The lounge door opened and a bleary eyed Max walked in. 'What are you doing down here?' he asked her

'I couldn't sleep' Lauren told him. 'What are you doing up?'

'I couldn't sleep either' Max said 'your mother's snoring woke me up' he told her with a smirk 'don't tell her I said that….' he added seriously. 'So do you want some hot milk? Maybe you and I should have a chat about things?' he asked her.

Lauren licked her lips and nodded her head 'Sure' she replied, wondering what her dad wanted to talk about.

 **AN: So Lauren sent Joey an elephant posing pouch! One size fits all apparently! And he's written back to her and given her his phone number. Sadly though, Max has interrupted the call and wants to have a talk with her! I wonder if she's in trouble? Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Nineteen**

Lauren leant against the unit near the sink as she watched her dad pour milk into a saucepan. 'You know I think mum has some hot chocolate stashed away in here somewhere' Lauren said as she walked over to a cupboard and opened the door. She moved a couple of things out of the way 'A-ha!' she exclaimed triumphantly 'Got it'

'Well done, you' Max turned to her with a smile, holding his hand out for the jar. 'Get the cups then' he told her. Lauren turned and grabbed a couple of mugs and spoons and she carried them back to her dad. 'So…who were you talking to on the phone?' he asked her knowingly.

'No one you know' Lauren replied with a shrug.

'What's his name then?' Max glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, catching the small smile on her face.

'Joey' Lauren replied softly 'Joey Matthews'

'Where did you meet him?' he asked her.

'Hawaii' Lauren replied. 'And before you go off on one I called him on my phone' she told him.

'You called him in Hawaii?' Max said turning to look at her. Lauren nodded her head 'we've been writing to each other for a couple of months' she told him.

'Oh…that explains why you're always running down the stairs when the postman comes' he nodded his head 'at least I can stop worrying about you having a thing for Masood now' he teased her 'so what does he do, this Joey Matthews?'

'Why are we talking about this, dad?' Lauren asked him with a sigh. Turning her attention to the milk.

'I'm not allowed to be interested in my daughter's life?' he said 'I'm interested in what you are getting up to'

'Dad, I'm living in your house, I think you can see that I'm not getting up to anything' she told him. 'If I'm not working at the pub I'm here. I have no life' she told him.

Max sighed 'I know you moving back here wasn't exactly ideal, but you're saving money by not paying rent, paying for food or bills' he reminded her. 'And you won't be working in the Vic forever'

'It feels like I will' Lauren replied softly 'everything in my life feels like it's spiralling out of control and there's nothing that I can do to stop it' she said to him. 'And I know it's my fault, I was the one who walked out on my wedding, but marrying Stuart would've been huge mistake' she told him. 'Even when I was in Hawaii, for the first few days I was second guessing my decision. Until I met Joey' Lauren explained as her father poured the milk in to the cups. 'I didn't leave the hotel for 3 days…until Lucy made me one night. And that's when I met Joey'

'You spent a lot of time with him?' Max asked her as he led her back to the lounge, he closed the door behind them and the two of them sat down next to each other on the sofa.

'Yeah, I did' she nodded her head. 'He understood what I was going through…sort of…Hawaii was supposed to be his honeymoon destination too. He went on his own and never came home' Lauren explained 'we spent practically every day together…every night too' she added with a smile. 'And then I had to come home and I'll probably never see him again'

'You can go back to Hawaii' Max told her.

'I work three shifts a week in the Vic and I earn £30 a shift. Alfie's even talking about cutting back how many shifts I do because the night club has taken away half his trade' Lauren told him 'It'll take me twenty years to save up enough money to go back to Hawaii and some other girl will have snapped him up by then' she pouted.

'Well, maybe that's the way it's supposed to be' Max told her softly.

'I'm 24 years old and I live at home' she sighed as Max put his arm around her, she lay her head on his shoulder.

'This will always be your home, Lauren' he told her 'whenever you need it to be, however long you need it to be. Your mum and I love having you back here' he said kissing the top of her head.

'It doesn't feel like mum loves having me here. And Abi certainly doesn't' Lauren told him 'She's pissed off she's having to share her room with me again'

'Your mum is thrilled you're home' Max told her 'And we've been talking about the bedrooms. We can move Abs into the small room that's currently filled with boxes that need to go into the attic. Then you two girls can have your own space' he suggested 'that was your mothers idea' he told her 'she wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't want you here, now would she?' he asked her.

Lauren shrugged, 'I guess not. A room of my own would be nice' Lauren told him. 'Not having a curfew would be great too' she glanced at her dad out of the corner of her eye.

Max smiled 'I'll talk to your mother' he told her with a smile. 'Get her to relax the rules a little' he said. 'Things will start to get better soon, I promise' he told her. 'Give it some time and you'll find yourself back on your feet. In the meantime you live here, rent free'

'At this rate it might be forever' she told him in a small voice.

'So how much does it cost for a one way ticket to Hawaii?' her dad teased her with a chuckle.

'Dad!' Lauren exclaimed and then she giggled. 'Joey's…Joey says he's going to come and visit' she told him.

'Will I get to meet him?'

'Maybe' Lauren said softly. 'We'll see' she took a sip of hot chocolate.

'So what time is it in Hawaii?' Max asked her.

'Around lunch time'

'Is that right' he said thoughtfully 'Well, since you can't sleep, I think you should call him back' he told her and he grabbed the cordless phone off the coffee table and held it out to her. 'Just keep your voice down so you don't wake your mother or your sister' he told her.

'Are you sure dad?'

'Yes. Night sweetheart' he told her softly, kissing the top of her head. He got up off the sofa and walked out of the room.

Lauren dialled the number and waited.

'Hello?'

'Joey? it's me' Lauren said 'Can you talk?'

'Of course' he said with a smile.

 **AN: So Lauren and Max had a father daughter chat** **He was just checking in with her to make sure that she's okay. And he's given her the house phone to call Joey back, making Lauren a happy girl, which is always good.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty.**

Lauren felt better the next day after she'd spoken to Joey. He seemed to know the right things to say to her and she was glad she'd plucked up the courage to call him. Her family saw the difference in her the next morning over breakfast, but Tanya frowned when she saw Max and Lauren share a secret smile, a part of her was jealous of the close relationship the two of them had. Especially since Abi, who used to be a mother's girl now "hated her with passion" because her mother would never let her do anything. Tanya couldn't remember Lauren even being such a horrible child throughout her teenage years, well, nowhere near as bad as Abi was being.

Lauren spent the day clearing out the spare room for Abi, so that her younger sister could move into the room whenever she wanted. Lauren had even offered to redecorate the room whilst Abi was at college, but Abi wanted to do it herself, but thanked Lauren for her offer and promised if she needed help she would ask. Truth be told Abi was a bit miffed that she had to give up her room just because Lauren had to move back in. She didn't see why she should be moved into the smaller room if Lauren moving back home was "just until she gets back on her feet". She had a feeling the arrangement was going to be a little more permanent than she'd been led to believe. Life was so unfair right now!

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later that evening, Lauren headed over to the Vic for her shift only to be told by Alfie that she wasn't needed that night as they were really quiet, feeling a little bit disheartened she headed home, but instead of going inside she sat down on the doorstep and felt sorry for herself. She didn't want to have to face her parents. Not that they would be angry with her, it wasn't her fault she wasn't needed at the pub anymore. After an hour, she went inside and headed quietly up the stairs to her room without her parents hearing her. She pulled out some paper and she started to write a letter to Joey…after ten minutes she gave up after all she'd managed to write were the words "Dear Joey". She sighed and lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The next day, Lauren decided to take matters in her own hands in regards to finding a job. She typed up a CV and headed out of town to hand them in to some businesses. She got home at lunchtime, made herself a sandwich and sat at the table with the job pages spread out in front of her. She'd circled a few jobs and after she'd eaten her sandwich she picked up the phone and started to call round, but didn't even get asked in for an interview.

Already feeling dejected and useless, and just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse it did. She checked her bank account, finding she had only £10 in there. She withdrew the last of her money from the bank and checked her purse. She had just enough money to get what she wanted.

Five minutes later, a bottle of vodka in hand, she headed home.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey was surprised and relieved to find a letter in his post box. He'd almost given up hope that Lauren was going to write to him again. He'd tried calling her but her phone had been disconnected. He was worried about her, she'd suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. He thought about sending some money to her, just enough to tide her over but he didn't think she would be happy about that. He had no other way of contacting her except by her mobile or by letter. He didn't even have Lucy's number so he couldn't call her and ask her if Lauren was okay. He'd written a couple of letters and got no reply, which then made him decide that he was going to see her. So he'd written again and told her when he was coming. He couldn't wait to read her letter to him. He hurried back to the hut and lay down on the bed and opened it.

" _ **Dear Joey**_

 _ **I'm sorry I haven't written in so long or spoken to you really. Things went from bad to worse…I'll explain in a bit…but I've just got another letter from you and I can't believe you're finally coming to visit! I'm so excited! We're going to have a great time I promise!**_

 _ **The last time we spoke I thought things were as worse as they could be. But then Alfie said he didn't need me to work so many shifts in the pub anymore so I took matters into my own hands and I posted my CV's around and I got the job pages and I started to call round to see if I could get a job that way. Before you get all excited both my attempts to find work were a total bust and then Alfie let me go too. A huge pity parade followed and I refused help and money from everyone. I had no money on my phone to call or text anyone and I withdrew the last £10 I had in the bank and combined with the £8.50 I had left in purse, I splurged and brought a bottle of vodka which I drank…neat… by myself. Suffice to say I was violently sick and had the hangover from Hell the next day.**_

 _ **Before you start to lecture me, yes. I know getting drunk wasn't the answer to my problems but at the time it seemed like a good idea.**_

 _ **But all that happened a couple of months ago and since then I seem to have had a little bit of luck. I've got a job at the club working behind the bar and I'm loving it, not to mention raking in the money (all thanks to you for teaching me how to make cocktails!) And yes, I realise that you told me numerous times to try to get a job at the club and I know the words "I told you so" are on the tip of your tongue, and you're right you are! You really are the best.**_

 _ **But that's not even the best news I've got to tell you! I've met someone…**_ __ _ **He's so amazing and I know you're going to love him. His name is Marcus and he's a bouncer/barman at the club. No…before you ask he's not 6ft 10 and 25 stone! He is 26 and he's 6ft 1 and he has muscles… We've been seeing each other for 6 weeks now and he's so romantic and sweet and so hot! I can't wait for you to meet him!**_

 _ **Oh! I have to go I've got a shift at the club!**_

 _ **I really can't wait to see you. I'll meet you at the airport!**_

 _ **Miss you.**_

 _ **Love Lauren xx"**_

Joey folded the letter up and stuffed it back into the envelope. To say he was devastated she was seeing someone was an understatement, but then again they didn't make any promises to each other. They never said they'd have a long distance relationship. He wondered if this bloke Marcus would be good enough for her. He guessed he'd find out soon enough, in three days to be precise. He carried the letter to his drawer, pulled it open and placed it inside a shoebox, where he'd kept all his other letters from Lauren. It was too late to change his mind about going now, he'd brought the tickets and arranged for someone to cover the bar for him and he'd told her he was coming. He had a feeling this trip wasn't going to be as good as he imagined it to be.

 **AN: It's good that Joey managed to cheer lauren up with the conversations they had. Tanya's feeling a bit left out and jealous of Lauren and Max's relationship. YAY! Lauren has a job! And Joey's coming to visit! But wait…she has a new boyfriend! We already know Joey's a bit devastated, but like he said they didn't really ever say they were having a long distance relationship…I wonder how the new boyfriend will affect their relationship? Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-one**

Lauren waited expectantly at the airport, her eyes darting up to the boards every few minutes, to check when his flight was due to land. Joey's was due in fifteen minutes. She was so excited at seeing him again it'd been all she'd talked about on her date with Marcus last night and the date had ended earlier than she'd anticipated, she realised she had probably pissed Marcus off with her none stop "Joey this, and Joey that" but she was sure that once Marcus met Joey he'd see what a great guy he was and they would become good friends. After all, how could anyone not love Joey?

She glanced at the boards again…fourteen minutes to go…she really couldn't wait for Joey to get here!

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren was waiting at the arrivals gate and she'd got as close to the front as she could as she watched people coming through after departing the plane. She wondered for a few brief terrifying moments if she'd recognise him. What if he didn't look the way she remembered he did? What if he'd changed his hair or put on weight or lost weight? She searched the crowds and then she saw him and her heart stopped in her chest.

'JOEY!' she shouted out, her hand raising in the air as she waved at him 'JOEY!' He turned as he heard his name and he watched her duck under the barriers and run across the concourse towards him, he dropped his bags on the floor as she launched herself at him, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet. 'Joey!' she whispered against his neck as she held onto him tightly 'you're really here'

'I'm really here' he nodded his head with a smile, feeling her body pressed up against his. 'God! I've missed you' he murmured softly, closing his eyes, breathing in her scent.

'I've missed you too' she said with a smile, pulling back to look at him 'I'm so glad you're here, Joey. There's so much I want to show you and I can't wait for you to meet Marcus' she beamed at him.

'I can't wait either' he nodded his head. She hugged him again before he set her back on her feet. He picked up his bag and she slipped her hand into his as they walked through the airport.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Once they arrived in Albert Square, Lauren took Joey to the B&B she'd booked for him. Patrick led them up to his room. 'You probably need to freshen up a little after your long flight' she said to him as she sat down on his bed. 'Was the flight okay? Are you tired?'

'The flight was fine and I slept on the plane' he told her with a smile as he unzipped his bag. He pulled out some shampoo and shower-gel and headed to the bathroom. Lauren heard the shower start up and she lay back on the bed.

'Did you close up the bar?' she asked him.

'Nope, got a mate working there for me' he called back. 'There's a present for you in the bag'

'There is?' she smiled as she pulled his bag closer to her. She peered inside and she found a gift wrapped box. She lifted it out of the bag, and shook it gently.

'Be careful with it, it's pretty fragile' he called through again. Lauren carefully took off the wrapping paper and she gasped when she saw what was inside. A jewellery box made out of shells. The shower stopped. 'I made it myself' Joey told her from the doorway, she looked up at him. He had a towel around his waist, another round his neck. 'I collected the shells off the beach and I made this for you' he told her.

'Joey. It's beautiful' she whispered. 'Thank you' she smiled at him.

'I'm glad you like it' he told her 'took me ages to find all the shells' he sat down on the bed and looked at her 'I thought the least I could do was bring a little bit of Hawaii back here for you' he told her with a smile.

'I love it' she said putting it carefully down on the bedside table. She wrapped her arms around him, not caring that he was still wet from the shower. 'Thank you so much!'

Joey laughed, 'babe, you're getting wet'

'I don't care' she shook her head.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

A couple of hours later the two of them were laying on the bed, facing each other as they talked about what they'd been up to since they last saw each other. Joey's stomach rumbled and Lauren giggled. 'You must be starving!' she exclaimed 'why didn't you say anything instead of letting me ramble on and on?' she shook her head and climbed off the bed 'come on I'll buy you lunch' she told him, she grabbed his hand and tugged him off the bed, and pulled him to the door. 'Did you bring any warm clothes? Or a coat?'

'No' Joey shook his head. 'I don't need warm clothes in Hawaii' he reminded her.

'You do in London, come on the market is still open we can pick you up something there' she told him. Joey looked at her and nodded his head. He grabbed his wallet and phone and followed her out of the room, making sure he took the room key with him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After half an hour of shopping, Joey and Lauren were sitting in the Vic, he had a pint of beer and a plate of lasagne and Lauren had a glass of white wine and a burger and chips. Joey looked around the pub, so this was where she used to work. He could imagine her behind the bar here. It was what his dad would call "a good old East End pub." He looked around at the people who were in the pub. Some of them he recognised as being market traders when he'd been shopping earlier. He turned to look at Lauren and saw she was watching him with interest. 'What?' he asked her.

'Nothing' she said with a smile 'I just still can't believe that you're here' she told him 'how long are you staying for?'

'I don't know' he said with a shrug 'until you get sick of me I guess' he said to her.

'Well you'll be waiting a long time for that to happen' she told him, picking up her glass and taking a sip. 'I'd be happy if you stayed here forever' she beamed at him. 'You'd make living here a lot more interesting that's for sure. You could get a job in the club…' she continued excitedly.

'I'm not sure I can live with the weather though, babe' he told her. 'It's pretty cold'

'You just have to get used to it again, that's all' she told him 'a couple of weeks here and you'll have forgotten all about the hot sun, blue sea and golden sands of Hawaii' she told him.

'That's how long it took you, did it?' he asked her knowingly, as he ate his last mouthful of food.

'I was freezing for about a month and a half after we came home' she told him with a sigh. 'Okay drink up. I'm going to take you on a guided tour' she grinned at him.

'I hope this guided tour includes the infamous river I've heard so much about' he told her.

'Of course' she nodded her head.

 **AN:**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

'Well, I feel as though I know everything there is to know about Albert Square and Walford now' Joey told her as they walked back towards the B&B several hours later. 'You could have a career as a tour guide' he teased her 'if tourists actually came here that is' he said with a grin.

'Hey! You did' she nudged him with her elbow.

'I didn't come here to see the sights. I came here to see you' he told her softly. He turned to face her and smiled.

'Do you mean to say that I've just wasted three hours of my afternoon showing you around Walford and making stuff up in an attempt to make the place more interesting than it actually is?' she asked him with a mock glare.

He laughed 'no, I enjoyed the company' he told her 'and I liked seeing where you live'

Lauren smiled at him 'good, I'm glad' she replied.

'And for the record, I knew you were making stuff up' he told her 'Half the stuff you said happened would've ended up in the papers!'

Lauren grinned at him. 'Well, on that note, I'm going to have to love you and leave you. I'll be back here in exactly…' she paused and pulled back her sleeve to look at her watch 'three hours so you'd better have your glad rags on because after we've had dinner we are going to meet my friends in the Vic and then we're going clubbing'

'What am I supposed to do for three hours?' he asked her, with a frown. 'Why can't I come with you?'

'Because I'm going home to have a nap and then make myself look beautiful for tonight' she replied

'That's not going to take three hours' he told her 'and you're already beautiful' Lauren blushed 'I think you should go home get everything you need for tonight and then come back here' he said 'we can get ready together and if you really need a nap, I have a bed too'

Lauren looked at him 'I guess…I could bring back the pictures I took whilst I was in Hawaii' she told him. 'Okay, give me half an hour or so and I'll be back' she grinned at him.

Joey smiled as he watched her run across the square until she was out of sight. He let himself into the B&B and took the stairs two at a time.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Marcus looked up as Lauren walked into the Vic, pulling behind her a tall dark haired man. She led him by the hand to the table. 'Everyone this is Joey. Joey this is Poppy, Fats, Tyler, Whitney, Lucy you already know, and her boyfriend Josh, and this is Marcus' she said with a smile.

'Hi' Joey said looking around at all the faces nervously 'It's nice to meet you all'

'You sit here and I'll go get us a drink' she told him.

'You paid for dinner, the least I can do is buy drinks' he told her with a smile. He walked over to the bar as Lauren sat down next to Marcus.

'Where have you been all day?' he asked her with a frown.

'I told you Joey was coming to visit today' she replied 'I picked him up from the airport and then I showed him around and we hung out, caught up' she shrugged to him.

'And you brought him dinner?' he glanced over her shoulder briefly before looking back at her.

'We had to eat' Lauren replied.

'Where did you go?' he frowned at her.

'What's with the twenty questions?' Lauren asked him in a whisper. 'I promise you are going to love, Joey'

'Doubt that' he muttered under his breath as Joey came back to the table. He put a tray of drinks down on the table, picking one up and handing it to Lauren.

'There's a drink here for everyone' he told them all.

'Thank you' Lauren smiled up at him 'sit down then' she pulled a stool closer to her and he shrugged off his coat and sat down.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

A few drinks later and they all decided to head off to the club. Lauren, Lucy and Poppy went on ahead, leaving the boys bringing up the rear. Marcus, Tyler and Fats moved ahead of Josh and Joey.

'I wouldn't worry about them' Josh said 'I've been seeing Lucy for a month now nd they're not exactly welcoming me into their little group' he told him 'Lucy said Tyler and Fats have known each other for a couple of years and Marcus is a friend of Tyler's' he explained. 'So you met Lauren and Lucy in Hawaii?' he asked Joey.

'Yep' Joey nodded his head, pushing his hands into his pockets

'What do you do in Hawaii?'

'I own and run a bar on the beach front' he told him

'Good money?'

'I get by' Joey replied. 'What do you do?'

'I work in the club with Lauren. It's how I met Lucy. Lauren introduced us'

'Oh, I see' he said.

'Lauren makes a pretty mean cocktail and I hear you taught her when she was in Hawaii?'

'Yeah, she helped out at the bar a few times' Joey replied casually.

'Well, here's the club' Josh said as they came to a long queue. Joey joined, standing at the back. A few minutes later Lauren came to find him.

'What are you doing?' she asked him.

'Queuing' he said 'obviously'

She rolled her eyes at him. 'You don't have to queue, you're a VIP' she told him with a smile, slipping her arm in his 'come on' she said pulling him out of the long line and straight to the door.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

As the evening went on Joey found himself watching as the other's had fun. Well, mainly he was watching Lauren have fun. He noticed that every time she tried to come over to him, Marcus would grab her and pull her in the opposite direction. An hour later though, just as Joey was about to leave and go back to the B&B, Lauren appeared in front of him.

'Are you leaving?' she asked him with a pout.

'Yeah. I'm feeling that jet lag now' he replied.

Lauren nodded her head 'I'll walk you back' she told him.

'You don't have to do that. I can remember the way'

'I know, but I want to. I've barely seen you all night' she replied. 'I've already told Marcus I'm heading off so…' she trailed off.

'If you're sure' he smiled at her.

'Yep. I'm sure' she nodded her head. 'Come on, let's go' she told him.

 **AN: I think that Marcus doesn't like Joey. Seems he doesn't like someone else taking Lauren's attention away from him. Meanwhile, Lauren and Joey are still getting on like a house on fire! I wonder what else Lauren has planned for Joey's visit? Don't forget to leave e a review! There's a possibility of another chapter tonight…**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

'So, did you have a good time tonight?' Lauren asked as she wrapped her arms around herself in a weak attempt to fend off the cold.

Joey glanced at her and shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders 'why is it that you girls don't come out with a coat in the middle of winter?' he asked her.

'Thanks…and I don't wear a coat because a big heavy coat would ruin the outfit' she said shrugging her arms into the sleeves and pulling the coat around her.

'Says the girl who thought it was perfectly okay to go out with dried food stuck to the front of her t-shirt and two different coloured flip flops' he teased her.

'That wasn't my fault, that was Lucy's' Lauren protested.

'Your hotel was one of the ones that didn't have mirrors in it was it?' he teased her again.

'Hey!' she pouted, 'what's this? Pick on Lauren night?' she asked him as they rounded the corner and walked past the Vic.

'Something like that' he nodded his head with a grin.

'What did you think of my friends?' she glanced at him.

'Well, Lucy was a completely different girl to the one I met in Hawaii' he told her. 'I didn't really speak to anyone else apart from Josh' he admitted to her. 'And he seems okay. Works in the club with you too'

'Yep' she nodded her head 'He trained me on the tills' she replied as they crossed through the gardens towards the B&B. 'He's okay. I'm not sure he's serious about Lucy though' Lauren told him 'he flirts with a lot of girls when Lucy isn't looking' she told him 'and no before you ask, no I'm not going to tell her. I've told you this before, there's one rule where Lucy is concerned and it's not to get involved in her love life' she told him. 'You interfere and she'll never thank you for it'

'I'll bear that in mind' Joey told her 'Okay, this is me' he told her as they reached the steps of the B&B. 'Thank you for walking me back'

'Aren't you going to invite me in for coffee?' she asked him, a small pout on her lips.

Joey looked at her and sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to say no to her. 'One coffee and then I'm kicking you out' he told her firmly. He unlocked the door, holding it open for Lauren to go inside first.

'Thank you' she smiled.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She followed him quietly up the stairs to his room, shrugged off his coat and took off her shoes and climbed into the bed as Joey put the kettle on.

'Fuck it's cold in here' Joey said with a frown as he looked around the room. Lauren rolled over and hung off the side of the bed and she turned the radiator up.

'There, the room should warm up in a bit' she told him with a smile. 'So, tell me, do you like Marcus? Lauren asked him.

'I didn't really get the chance to talk to him, babe' Joey told her softly. 'I don't know him' he turned his back on her as he made the coffees. 'I can't judge him without at least having a conversation with the guy' he said, he didn't want to tell her that he didn't need to speak to the guy to figure out he was an arsehole.

'Well you'll have a chance to do that tomorrow' she told him.

'Oh?' Joey asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

'Mmhmm. I've arranged a boy's day out for you both' she told him. 'There's a pool club not far from here and Marcus is going to take you'

'Great, I'll look forward to it' he told her forcing a smile on his face as he turned with two cups. He handed one to her and then put the other on the bedside table before climbing carefully onto the bed. 'So you looked as though you had a good time tonight' he said to her softly.

'Yes I did. I would've liked to have spent some more time with you but Marcus was feeling a bit left out' she told him. 'He was a bit jealous I spent the day with you'

'And you're telling me this the night before I spend the day with him?' Joey looked at her.

'I thought you should understand if he was being off with you' she said softly.

'Great! I'm looking forward to the day even more' he told her with a sigh. He lay down on the bed, folding his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Lauren licked her lips and she leant over to put her cup on her bedside table and she sat up to look at Joey.

'I didn't tell Marcus about us' she told him. 'That we were together when I was in Hawaii' her teeth worried her bottom lip as she waited for his reaction.

'You haven't told him?' he asked her.

Lauren shook her head. 'Nope. We haven't been dating that long and the "ex" question hasn't come up yet' she explained to him 'and besides I didn't want things to be awkward between you both. I want you to get along and like each other'

Joey nodded his head 'so if he asks me outright what do you want me to tell him?' he rolled onto his side to look at her. 'Do you want me to lie to him?'

'Yes' Lauren nodded her head 'I just…what we had in Hawaii was really special, Joey' she told him softly 'and we're great friends now and I don't want to ruin that. And I don't want to share what we had or what we did with anyone else. I didn't even tell Lucy…' she told him.

Joey licked his lips and he sighed 'okay, I'll tell him we're just friends' he replied. He sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard. 'You should drink your coffee before it gets cold' he told her.

Lauren blinked at him 'don't be upset, Joey' she said to him. 'You know you're important to me' she told him 'And Marcus is too'

He looked at her and saw she had tears in her eyes and he sighed, 'It's okay, I understand, Lauren, I do' he told her nodding his head 'I'm not upset with you, I promise' he licked his lips 'so what else do you have planned for me to do whilst I'm here?' he asked her 'I bet you have a lot of things planned for us'

She brightened up, happy that there wasn't any ill will between them 'well, I thought we could go to the beach' she told him 'and there's an art museum I think you'll love' she said as she reached for her coffee. 'and then…there's not actually much to do in Walford' she admitted with a frown.

'Well I'm sure we'll figure something out' he told her with a smile.

 **AN: So, Lauren hasn't divulged the little fact that she and Joey were a lot more then friends when they were in Hawaii. I'm pretty sure Joey's not happy with being kept a secret but he's going along with it for Lauren. I wonder how to boy's day out is going to go? Especially if Joey already thinks Marcus is an arsehole! Is he right to think that? I guess we'll have to wait and see! Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

After Lauren had left, Joey got ready for bed. He was still cold even though Lauren had turned the heating up. He was reluctant to buy anymore warmer clothes as he wouldn't need them when he returned to Hawaii but he knew the pair of shorts and t-shirt he'd brought to sleep in weren't going to keep him warm tonight. He sighed as he crawled into the bed. Shivering when the cold sheets touched his body. He snuggled up as best he could and closed his eyes. Fifteen minutes later he climbed out of the bed and moved into the bathroom. He turned the shower on, setting the water to as hot as he could stand before getting underneath it. Half an hour later he was tucked back up in the bed with three t-shirts and a pair of jeans and three pairs of socks. As he lay there he thought about his "playdate" with Marcus tomorrow. From what he'd seen of Marcus he didn't really like him. He hadn't had an actual conversation with him or anything but the fact he spent most of the night making sure Lauren didn't spend any time with him pissed him off a little. He'd travelled a long way to see her…yes okay, he'd hoped they'd rekindle their romance but with Marcus on the scene that was clearly not going to happen and Lauren seemed to think he was the best thing since sliced bread, so he was going to give him a chance. For Lauren's sake.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

He was woken up when someone jumped on his bed. 'Good morning!' a cheery perky voice called out. He groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes he saw Lauren.

'What time is it?' he grumbled.

'10:00am' she told him 'I brought you breakfast' she said as he pulled himself to sit up. 'Coffee and pastries' she said handing him a coffee.

'I thought this was a Bed and Breakfast?' he looked at her with amusement.

'Well yeah it is, but I figured we could have breakfast together like we used to in Hawaii' she told him.

'We used to have breakfast in bed in Hawaii' he said taking a sip of his coffee. Lauren looked up at him, a faint blush covering her face. 'What? I'm just saying' he told her.

Lauren climbed off the bed and took off her coat and shoes and pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed, picking up her coffee 'there! Better?' she asked him.

'Not entirely what I had in mind…but it'll do' he told her with a grin.

Lauren smiled, shaking her head as she blushed again 'I brought some warm clothes for you' she said to him 'they're not new or anything, just some things that don't fit my dad anymore. I figured you wouldn't want to waste your money buying things you won't need in Hawaii' she told him. 'They're all clean, I washed and dried them all this morning before I picked up breakfast' she told him.

'That's really thoughtful' he smiled at her 'thanks, babe' he put his arm around her, hugging her against him.

'I don't want you catching a cold while you're here do I?' she asked him, snuggling into his side. Joey turned, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

A couple of hours later the two of them walked out of the B&B as Marcus was heading towards it. 'There you are, I've been looking all over for you' he said as he reached for Lauren, pulling her into his arms, kissing her briefly, his eyes meeting Joey's.

'I was spending some time with Joey before you two go off and have fun without me' she told him.

'I thought you were going to come over last night' he said to her, turning his attention to her.

'I know, I was, I was just so tired, I fell asleep as soon as I got back from the club' she told him. Joey blinked, surprised. She'd just lied to Marcus. She'd been at the B&B with him until around 3:30am. 'I'll make it up to you later?'

Marcus smiled at her 'I'm going to hold you to that' he raised her chin with his fingers and pulled her into another kiss. Lauren smiled up at him.

'Well you boys have fun' she said turning to look at Joey. 'And I'll see you later at the club. You can see me at work' she told Joey with a grin.

'Looking forward to it' he replied with a smile.

'Well, we'd better be off, the table's booked for 12:30pm' Marcus said to Joey. Joey nodded his head and the two boys started to walk away.

'Have fun!' Lauren called after them. She was hoping that when the two of them came back that they'd be the best of friends. She turned and headed to the club for her lunch time shift.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Marcus carried the drinks over to the table Joey was waiting at. 'Here you go' he said putting a pint down in front of him.

'Thanks' Joey said, picking it up and taking a long drink.

'So you met Lauren in Hawaii?' Marcus asked him.

'Yep and Lucy' Joey said to him.

'How long have you known Lauren for?' he asked as he took a drink.

Joey paused, wondering what Lauren had told him about hey they met. He figured she would have been honest about that at least. 'She came out for a six-week holiday and then we started writing and calling each other…so about six months in all I guess' he told him.

'Six weeks huh?' Marcus nodded his head 'the way she talks about you it's like you're the best thing since sliced bread'

'Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you' Joey told him, putting his pint down on the table.

'She talks about me?' Marcus was suddenly interested.

'Yeah she does' Joey nodded his head.

'What does she say?'

'That's between me and Lauren' Joey told him 'all that you need to worry about is treating her right' Joey said leaning back in the seat 'or you'll have me to answer to' Joey told him, his eyes burning into his.

Marcus raised his eyebrows 'that sounded like a veiled threat' he took a drink of beer.

'There was nothing veiled about it' Joey said shaking his head. 'Lauren's a good friend and she means a lot to me. I don't want to see her hurt again' Joey told him.

'Noted' Marcus said with a nod of his head.

'So how serious are you about Lauren?' Joey asked him, picking up his beer again.

'I really don't think that's any of your business, do you?' Marcus frowned at him 'Me and Lauren have absolutely nothing to do with you' he folded his arms over his chest. Joey put his beer glass down.

'You know I'm pretty sure you're nothing like the guy Lauren thinks you are. I know she organised this little trip so that you and I can get to know each other a little better and it's important to her that we do' Joey said putting the glass down. 'And I'm also pretty sure that all it will take is one word from me and she'll drop you like the piece of shit I think you are' Joey said as he stood up, pushing his chair back. 'Thanks for the beer' he said, pulling his jacket off the back of the chair and headed towards the door. Joey zipped up his jacket and pushed his hand back into his pockets as he looked up and down the street, trying to remember the way back to the square.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews or TNT. I think that there is still a spark between Lauren and Joey, and they both know it. But Lauren's with someone else and neither of them would cheat. I think Joey's got Marcus pegged though. I wonder what happens when they see Lauren again? What will they tell her? Back tomorrow with another chapter, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Joey walked into the Vic and ordered a sandwich and coffee, he took it to a table in the corner. He'd picked up a paper from the shop just before the Vic and was reading it. 'Joey, right?' he heard someone ask. He looked up and saw one of the guys from last night.

'That depends who's asking' he replied.

'Tyler' he held out his hand 'Whitney's boyfriend. We met last night'

'Oh yeah right, hi' Joey said before looking back at the paper, ignoring the offered hand. Tyler swallowed and pushed his hand into his pocket.

'Mind if I join you?' he asked. Joey looked up at him and folded up the paper.

'Sure' he nodded his head, putting the paper on the seat beside him.

'I thought you were out with Marcus today' Tyler said sitting down on a stool, putting his pint down in front of him.

'Been there, done that' Joey said with a shrug.

'He's an acquired taste, that's for sure' Tyler said to him 'did he give you a hard time?'

'I can take care of myself' Joey replied picking up his coffee, taking a sip.

'I'll bet' Tyler said nodding his head 'so you own a bar in Hawaii?' he asked 'That must be great'

'It has its perks' Joey nodded again 'What do you do?'

'I have a stall on the market' Tyler explained 'sell a bit of this and a bit of that' he grinned. 'So how did you end up in Hawaii?'

'Got on a plane at Heathrow. Landed in Hawaii' Joey deadpanned.

'Right, yeah, of course' Tyler frowned, clearing his throat. 'Stupid question' he glanced around the pub to see if there was anyone else there he knew he could go and sit with. Joey wasn't exactly making him feel very welcome.

'Sorry' Joey said with a sigh, realising he's been rude 'It's a long story…involved a girl' he told him.

'Leaving or going to?'

'Leaving' Joey said putting his cup down. 'How long have you worked on the market?'

'Five years. Inherited it off Alfie when he took over as Landlord of the Vic. He's my uncle'

'Lauren mentioned there were several big family groups living on the square' Joey said to him 'how long have you been seeing Whitney?'

'Three years' he replied. 'We're thinking about getting a place together, she lives with her mum, her Nan and her three brothers and sisters. It's a bit crowded, it's difficult to get even a minute of privacy'

'I'll bet' Joey replied. 'So how long has Marcus been on the scene?'

'He moved here about three months back. Started working in the club when it opened and he and Lauren started dating just after she got a job there' Tyler said 'he's pretty much keeps to himself, I don't really know that much about him or what he was doing before he moved here' he told him. 'I've asked him a few times but I get the impression he really doesn't want to talk about it' he frowned

'Josh told me Marcus was one of your friends?' Joey asked him, fishing for more information on Lauren's boyfriend.

'Sort of' Tyler said 'Like I said I don't really know all that much about him. I've only known him for about six months' he replied. 'He's not exactly an open book, but Lauren seems to like him and it's nice to see her happy after everything she's been through' he drank a couple of mouthfuls of beer 'and it's nice to finally meet you. Put a face to the name, Lauren's told us a lot about you'

Joey realised that Tyler didn't really know Marcus as well as Josh thought he did, he wondered what he was hiding. 'I hear she's been pretty vocal about me coming to visit' Joey said with a smile.

'I'm surprised she didn't organise a parade or have the square decorated by flags. She's been so excited since she found out you were coming' he laughed 'she ordered us to all be on our best behaviour and make sure you felt welcome so you'd want to come back'

'Marcus must have missed out on that pep talk' Joey said a little bitterly.

'Between you and me I think he's a little bit jealous of you. The way Lauren talks about you, the way her face lights up…I think it'd be more than any guy could handle' he said to him.

'I guess' Joey said, he hadn't really seen it from Marcus's point of view. He was mainly seeing it from his own 'Maybe I was a bit hard on him'

'Doubt it. You were probably spot on' Tyler grinned at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren was tired when she finished her lunchtime shift at the club. She glanced at the B&B wondering if Marcus and Joey were back from their day out together. She wanted to know what Joey thought about her new boyfriend. But she was really tired from her late night with Joey and then being up early to sort out some clothes for him, besides she would see him before she went to the club. She smiled and headed up the stairs to her house. Once inside she headed upstairs to her bedroom, stripped down to her underwear and climbed into bed. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She was woken by someone shaking her, almost violently. 'Mmm…what?' she grumbled.

'It's 6:00pm, babe' her dad said softly 'you need to get ready for work. There's a coffee on the bedside table and a toasted cheese sandwich'

'Thanks dad' Lauren said with a smile as she tried to force her eyes open.

'Don't go back to sleep now' he told her as he bent down and kissed her forehead. She heard the bedroom door close and she sat up, running her fingers through her hair. Her face felt awful and sticky from the makeup she had left on. She was going to need another shower before she went to work, she thought to herself as she reached for her coffee.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey opened the door to his room and found Lauren there. In all honesty he'd been expecting Lauren long before this. He steeled himself up for the verbal attack he knew was coming. 'Don't keep me in suspense, what did you think of Marcus? Honest opinion' she told him as she perched on the edge of his bed, he turned to see her looking up at him expectantly.

'You haven't seen Marcus?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head.

'I was shattered after my shift so I went home to bed' she told him 'your opinion really means a lot to me' she said, he could see the anxiety on her face and he swallowed and took a deep breath.

'I don't know what you want me to say' he told her shaking his head 'he's a great guy' he told her. 'We hit it off'

He watched as the worry disappeared from Lauren's face and a huge smile covered it, lighting it up. 'Yeah?'

'Yeah' he lied, nodding his head.

'Thank you' Lauren scrambled off the bed and wrapped her arms around him 'that really means a lot coming from you' she told him in a whisper. Joey closed as his eyes as he hugged her, pulling her tighter against him. Tighter than he should've done, not that Lauren seemed to mind at all. He licked his lips as she pulled back to look at him. 'I'm so glad you two are friends, I was worried you'd hate each other' she admitted to him.

'He means a lot to you so…' Joey trailed off, as he stroked her cheek with his fingers. They both gazed at each other for a longer time than was necessary, Lauren frowned and her eyes fell to his lips, she moved forward slightly. 'Okay…you are going to be late for work' Joey said letting her go 'we need to get a move on' he told her with a smile.

'You're right we do' Lauren nodded her head. 'Grab your jacket…' she told him as she walked to the door and opening it.

 **AN: Seems like Marcus is a bit of a mystery character…and Tyler doesn't actually know him all that well. Joey lied to Lauren about what he thinks about Marcus. Did he do the right thing? Putting Lauren's happiness before his own? I wonder what Marcus is going to say about their day out when he and Lauren meet up… Okay so this is the first of potentially three chapters today! Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Joey walked into the club behind Lauren. There were about 6 people in there in total, including him and Lauren and the DJ. He wondered briefly why the club opened this early. It was barely 7:00pm, it must be costing more for staff and electricity alone than the three people would bring in with drinks. 'Okay. You sit here' Lauren told him as he unzipped his coat and pushed it off his shoulders. 'And I'll just stash these in the locker room and then I'm going to make you the first of many, many cocktails' she grinned at him. Joey couldn't help grinning back at her. He slid onto the stool and waited for her to return. She ducked behind the bar, glancing around to see if there were other people waiting to be served and then she prepared a cocktail, one Joey had taught her in Hawaii and she poured it into a glass and handed it to him. He picked it up and took a sip.

'Mmm. That's a pretty good Mai Tai' he told her licking his lips.

'Well, I learnt from the best' she smiled at him.

'How many cocktails are you planning on making me drink tonight?' he asked her 'just a ball park figure…'

'As many as you can drink without falling over' she grinned at him as she headed towards the back of the bar and started to sort out some of the mixers. Half an hour later she was back 'Are you ready for another?' she asked him.

'Go on then' he said to her. He expected her to pour him another Mai Tai but instead she made him a completely different cocktail. He watched her, trying to work out what it was by what she was putting into it, she turned and put the glass down in front of him again. He picked it up and took a sip. 'Wow. This is pretty strong!' he exclaimed 'but it's also bloody lovely' he grinned at her as he took another couple of mouthfuls 'what is it?'

'A Cosmo' she beamed at him 'One I learnt myself'

'It's great' he told her with a proud smile.

'I can show you how to make it if you like?' she suggested, leaning on the bar.

'And the student becomes the teacher' he smiled at her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Marcus arrived at 9pm to start his shift. He usually worked as a bouncer at the club but a few weeks earlier he'd been taken on as additional bar staff when they were struggling to fill the shifts. He was surprised and annoyed to find Lauren and Joey talking at the end of the bar. She was keeping an eye out and serving customers but paying far too much attention to Joey for his liking. She hadn't even noticed that he'd come in. He served a couple of people at his end of the bar and then walked down to Lauren. 'Hello gorgeous' he said to her, sliding his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. She wriggled out of his grasp.

'Marcus! Not at work. You know Sharon doesn't like it' she scolded him. 'Joey tells me you two had a great time today' she beamed at him.

'He did?' Marcus shot Joey a surprised look, Joey nodded his head. 'Yeah we did' he nodded in agreement. 'Turns out we have a lot in common, Joey's a great pool player too' he said with a smile 'So she's dragged you out here tonight, has she' he asked him.

'Yep' Joey said 'I'm trying out her cocktails'

'She's pretty good at making them' Marcus nodded in agreement.

'Joey taught me everything I know' Lauren beamed at him and then she turned her attention back to Joey 'so are you ready for another one?' she asked him.

'Yes…but this time I have a request' he said, pushing his glass towards her. He decided he wasn't going to let Marcus get off that easy, plus he was feeling a little bit buzzed from the last cocktail 'I would like to have Sex On The Beach please' he told her. 'You know how much I like it' Lauren giggled and blushed as she took his glass from him.

'Sex On The Beach coming right up' she smiled at him. Joey saw Marcus scowl as he walked towards the other end of the bar.

'And then after that I'd like a Long Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall' he told her with a smirk, knowing Marcus was still in earshot.

'Joey!' Lauren scolded him 'I can see you're going to be a very naughty drunk' she smiled at him.

'Babe, you have no idea' he told her with a wink. Lauren turned and walked to the back of the bar and started to make another cocktail. A few minutes later she put another glass in front of him. 'Thank you. I haven't had Sex On The Beach for a long time' he looked at her over the top of her glass, she blushed as she remembered the time the two of them had sex behind the dunes near her hotel.

'Joey…' she whispered softly. Lauren turned away and rang up the drink and put the money in the till. She glanced at the clock, she had another half an hour left on her shift and then she was going to join Joey on the other side of the bar. She glanced at Marcus and saw he was busy with some customers. She spent the next half an hour serving people and then she walked over to Joey. 'Do you want something else?' she asked him.

'I'm still enjoying Sex On The Beach' he told her with a smile as she moved out from behind the bar and took a seat beside him. 'I could really use your skills at the bar' he told her 'there's still a job out there for you whenever you want it'

'I thought you said you couldn't pay me' she told him softly.

'I'd pay you in kind' he replied with a smile. Lauren blushed again. Joey frowned at her 'Wait a minute. Aren't you the wrong side of the bar?' he asked her.

'I've finished my shift' she replied 'I worked the lunch time shift so I only do an early evening shift at the club' she said 'Marcus is here until it closes at 1:30am'

'Are you staying that long?' he asked her.

'I'm not sure I can stay awake until then, besides I have a day out planned for us tomorrow and we have to be up bright and early to get the train'

'Now I'm intrigued. Where are we going?' he asked her.

'You'll have to wait and see. You need to dress…'

'No don't tell me…warm?' he asked her with a smirk. Lauren giggled nudging him with her shoulder. 'You know what I fancy now?' he asked her as he finished his drink.

'What's that?' Lauren asked him.

'A Blow Job' he replied. Lauren's eyes widened in shock and surprise. He laughed at her face. 'It's a cocktail, babe' he told her. 'Not that I wouldn't say no to the non-cocktail kind either' he grinned at her as he remembered the blow jobs she'd given him during her brief sojourn to Hawaii.

'I think you've had to enough to drink Joey Matthews' she told him softly 'my boyfriend is just down the other end of the bar and here you are flirting with me' she smiled as she said it.

'You were the one who got me drunk' he told her 'so it's kind of your fault'

'I should take you home. Get some coffee inside you. Sober you up a bit' she said softly.

'Hold that thought I have to go to the loo first'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Marcus kept an eye on the two of them, feeling increasingly annoyed as he saw them sitting together. He didn't need to be standing right next to them to know they were flirting with each other. Joey got up off his stool and went through to the men's room and Lauren stared after him. Marcus walked over to her. 'What do you think you're doing?' he hissed at her angrily.

She jumped, turning to look at him 'I'm talking to Joey' she frowned at him 'My shift finished an hour ago'

'You're flirting with him' he snapped at her 'I'm working down the other end of the bar and I can see you laughing and giggling and flirting with each other'

'I'm not flirting with him' she frowned. Okay so she was telling a little white lie, she was but it was harmless flirting. 'You're imagining things' she shook her head. 'He's my friend that's come to visit from Hawaii. I told you he was coming and he knows no one else here. I'm not going to just leave him on his own, am I?' she frowned at him. 'You're my boyfriend, not him'

'Oh, remembered that have you?' he glared at her 'Make sure he does too' he said to her as he saw Joey coming towards them. He snatched the glasses off the bar 'you've both had enough to drink' he snapped at her and marched away back to the other end of the bar.

Lauren blinked as Joey slid back into his seat. 'Hey where's my drink?' he frowned.

'Marcus cut us off' Lauren said 'apparently we've had enough and having a good time and enjoying ourselves is not the done thing' she said to him with a frown. She slid off the stool. 'Come on let's go'

Joey frowned but followed her. She grabbed their coats from the locker room, handing Joey's to him as she pulled on her own.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey noticed Lauren was quiet as they walked towards the B&B. He put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her gently 'what's wrong, Lauren?'

She sighed 'Marcus and I had a fight' she told him 'when you went to the bathroom'

'What about?' Joey frowned at her.

'You' Lauren replied 'He said I'd been sitting at the bar and flirting with you all night' she glanced at him.

'So?' Joey shrugged. 'It's harmless flirting, isn't it?' he asked her, unable to keep the hope completely out of his voice.

'Yes but…' she trailed off.

'There's no buts, babe' he said shaking his head. 'We're just friends. Nothing more' he told her 'Harmless flirting is hardly the crime of the century and if he's jealous, well it must mean he really likes you' he said.

'You think so?' Lauren looked up at him hopefully, Joey nodded his head.

'I know so' Joey replied with a smile 'Now come on, you owe me a Blow Job!' he grinned, taking her hand and leading a giggling Lauren into the B&B.

'Do you have everything you need to make those?'

'Who said it was a drink I was after?' he teased her, making her laugh harder.

 **AN: Joey's a little bit feisty tonight! He couldn't resist using Marcus' obvious jealousy to wind him up a little bit. And it looks as though when Joey gets tipsy his flirting with Lauren becomes a little more obvious. There could be another chapter today…Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Joey was already up and about when Lauren went over to wake him up for their trip. He smiled at her as she came into the room. 'Hey, how do you feel this morning?' she asked him, smiling when she saw he was already up and dressed.

'I feel fine' Joey grinned at her 'you?'

'Me too' she nodded her head. 'So are you ready?'

'We're leaving now?' he asked in surprise.

'Yep' she nodded her head 'I have a busy day planned for you today' she grinned at him 'You're going to need more than one sweater' she said to him. Joey frowned, grabbing another one and pushing it into a rucksack.

'Come on then let's go' he told her pushing in front of her and opening the door. Lauren smiled and followed him out, locking the door behind her. 'So where are we going again?' he asked her.

Lauren giggled 'like I've told you a million times, it's a surprise' she told him. 'Oh…tonight you have to fend for yourself. Marcus and I have a date' she said, glancing at him.

'It's fine, I can catch up on my sleep' he told her with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey groaned and turned to look at his phone to see what the time was. It was 3:30am. He heard someone knocking on his door and he climbed out of bed. Bleary eyed he ran his hand through his hair as he walked to the door. When he opened it he was surprised to find Lauren there.

'Sssh' she whispered loudly, putting her fingers on his lips.

'Are you drunk?' he asked her and she nodded her head.

'Just a little bit' she giggled and then clamped her hand over her mouth. 'Sssh' she mumbled.

Joey smiled shaking his head, letting her into his room. He checked outside to make sure she hadn't woken anybody, satisfied she hadn't he closed the door behind her, turning to look at her. 'Do you know what time it is?' he asked her.

'Too late for me to go home' she whispered in a loud voice. 'Can I stay here tonight?'

'Weren't you out with Marcus tonight?' he asked her 'where's he gone?'

'He's gone home' Lauren told him 'He didn't want me to stay over' she pouted.

'He didn't take you back to yours?' he asked her, his dislike for her boyfriend growing more.

'Yes he did…but I can't go home, not in this state…mum will kill me…please let me stay here tonight, please? I promise you won't even know I'm here' she begged him.

Joey rolled his eyes 'Alright, I'll make you some coffee to try and sober you up and bit and I'll find you something to sleep in' he told her.

'YAY! THANK YOU!' she squealed loudly.

'SSSH!' Joey hissed at her 'you'll wake everyone up!' he scolded her gently. 'Stay there, let me see if I can find you something to sleep in' he said to her, turning his back on her and walking across the room to his bag. He crouched down and unzipped it, searched through it until he found something suitable. He stood up and turned around 'Here you can sleep in th…' his words died away as he saw Lauren was now standing in front of him in nothing but her underwear. Very sexy red lacy underwear. He swallowed, forcing his eyes not to roam over her body but to instead focus on her face. 'Where's…' he squeaked, in a high pitched voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. 'Where's your dress?' he asked a little bit confused. Lauren pointed up towards the ceiling and giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. Joey looked up and discovered her dress was hanging off the lampshade. 'Wow…that's a pretty impressive shot' he said 'one possible only someone who is very, very drunk can make' he told her as he walked over to her and held out the shirt he'd found. 'Here, you can wear this' he told her.

'Thank you' she said taking the shirt from him 'you are such a gentleman' she told him.

'Believe me if you knew what I was thinking right now you'd realise I'm far from gentlemanly' he muttered as he turned away from her.

'What are you thinking?' she asked him quietly.

Joey licked his lips, surprised she'd heard him 'forget about it, babe' he said to her 'You should get changed and get into bed before you get cold' he put the kettle on to boil and got a couple of cups ready for coffee.

Lauren sighed and she sat down on the bed 'Joey? Can you help me take off my shoes please? She asked him 'I can't see which buckle to undo'

Joey smiled and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. He picked up one of her feet and put it on his lap, it took him a couple of minutes to realise that the shoes pulled off her feet and weren't actually fastened by a buckle, they were just for decoration. He took both shoes off and put them down behind him, turning back to Lauren as she peeled off her bra. He swallowed as her breasts were bared to his gaze. 'Let's get this t-shirt on you, hey?' he asked her. Picking up the shirt and holding it out to her.

'Don't you like me anymore, Joey?' she asked him in a small voice.

Joey inhaled deeply 'Yes, I do' he told her softly 'but how I feel right now, what I want doesn't matter. You have a boyfriend and you're currently very drunk' he told her and put the t-shirt over her head 'and if I let anything happen here, it's highly likely you're not going to remember it in the morning and I'll then feel like a piece of shit' he told her softly, he took one of her hands and put it through the sleeve of the shirt as he pulled the t-shirt onto her body. Once she was covered he looked at her 'and if by some miracle you do remember in the morning, you are going to realise that you cheated on Marcus and you'll be the one who will feel like a piece of shit and that in turn will make me feel bad' he told her softly. 'So, as much as I want to…nothing is going to happen here tonight' he told her, he stood up and took her hands in his, pulling her to her feet, he reached behind her and pulled the covers off the bed and manoeuvred her backwards to the bed, she climbed in, sitting up and he covered her. Joey walked back across the room to the coffee and he poured the water in the cups and then carried a cup over to her. 'Here, take little sips' he told her.

She nodded her head taking the cup from him. 'This trip hasn't been what you hoped it would be, has it?' she asked him softly.

Joey smiled at her sadly 'I got to see you again' he told her as he got his own cup and carried it over to the other side of the bed, he pulled back the covers and climbed in beside her, careful not to jostle her.

'I told you Walford was boring' she sighed. 'I bet you wished you never came now' she looked down into her cup. 'The trip today was stupid' she said sadly.

'No it's wasn't' Joey told her shaking his head. The two of them had gone to the beach, it was raining and cold and a bit windy too, but Joey had a great time, because he got to spend the day with Lauren. They'd gone for a brief walk on the beach, he'd threatened to throw Lauren into the sea, and he'd picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and headed down to the water, Lauren had squealed and giggled and they'd laughed so hard. They'd had chips from a stall on the sea front and eaten freshly cooked doughnuts. They'd played in the arcades and eaten a lot of candyfloss and sweets. Even though it was a crappy day weather wise, Joey loved it.

'Hey…I came here to see you, Lauren' he said softly 'Spending time with you has been great, amazing even. I'm glad you're happy…even though it's with someone else…you are happy with Marcus aren't you?' he asked her.

Lauren looked up at him and she nodded her head 'Yes, I am. I didn't plan on meeting someone…I'm sorry I…'

'Babe, you don't have to apologise…you didn't plan on meeting anyone in Hawaii either, did you, but it happened, didn't it, hey?' he asked her. She nodded her head with a sniff. 'Come on babe, don't cry' he reached out and took her cup away from her, putting it on the side before taking her in his arms. 'Those six weeks we spent together were great, weren't they?' he asked her, tilting his head to one side so he could see her face.

'Yes, they were' she whispered.

'And that's something we'll always have to remember. No one can take that away from us can they, hey?' he asked her 'you and I are good friends now, that's got to be worth something right?'

'I guess' she replied and she raised her head to look at him. 'You don't hate me?' she asked him.

He watched a tear roll down her cheeks and he smiled at her, shaking his head 'Of course not' he reached out, brushing her tears away with his fingers. 'I could never hate you. You're a pretty special girl, Lauren. Never forget that' he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 'We never promised each other anything, did we, hey?' she shook her head. 'I didn't come here thinking that you and I would hook up. I knew before I came here that you had a boyfriend' he told her softly, okay so that was a little white lie, but he didn't want to hurt her or upset her any more than she already was. 'so there's nothing for you to worry about is there?' Lauren shook her head again.

'No, I suppose not' she replied.

'Good. Now come on, finish your coffee and then we can go to sleep' he told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later, the two of them were lying in bed, Lauren's head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. 'I've really missed you, Joey' Lauren whispered sleepily.

'I've missed you too, Lauren' he murmured back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He lay awake long after she'd fallen asleep, he knew he needed to leave Walford and go back to Hawaii, sooner rather than later. He couldn't stay here and torture himself any more. He felt guilty that he'd lied to Lauren earlier. He had been expecting them to get together when he came here, she was all he'd been thinking about since they'd met in Hawaii. He was besotted by her and could see a future with the two of them together, Hell, it was all he thought about. He'd thought Lauren felt the same way but when he'd received her letter telling him she'd met someone he felt as though his whole world had caved in. Lauren was a beautiful girl and he should've realised she wouldn't be single for long. It was his fault that he'd built his hopes up, not hers. He sighed. He needed to go home, move on. He'd been here for 7 days and he'd planned to say for at least another two weeks but he couldn't watch her with another man. Not when he wanted her so badly himself. He would leave tomorrow. His decision made he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 **AN: What a crappy boyfriend Marcus is. Letting Lauren get so drunk and then just abandoning her on her doorstep, not bothering to make sure she got in okay…not taking care of her. Luckily Joey was available to take care of her…although I'm not sure Lauren's little drunken striptease helped matter much…still Joey was a gentleman.**

 **I do feel sorry for Joey though, spending time with Lauren has only made him more aware of his feelings for her…I think he's doing the right thing leaving before something happens between them that they'd both regret. Back tomorrow…don't forget to leave me a review.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

The next morning Joey was up first. He showered, dressed and packed his bags. He made a coffee and sat on the bed looking at Lauren, she was still sound asleep. He picked up his phone and he called the airport, booking himself a seat on the flight out in the late afternoon. Once he was done he glanced at his watch. It was 8:00am. He knew he needed to wake her but she looked so peaceful sleeping there. He smiled as he watched her sleeping, something else he'd missed doing when she left Hawaii. He wondered if she would remember the events of last night. He hoped she wouldn't because then things could be awkward between them and he didn't want that. He wanted to leave with them being on good terms. He sighed, taking a sip of coffee. He'd let her sleep for a little bit longer.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren woke half an hour later and rolled over in the bed. She found a glass of water, a coffee and some pain killers on the side, a note propped up against the coffee. She sat up and took the pain killers. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, groaning as the memories of last night came back to her. She picked up the note and read it. Joey had gone out to get some more milk and a paper. She was grateful that Joey wasn't there, she felt rough and probably looked it too. She wanted to at least freshen up a little and look more presentable. She climbed out of bed and gathered up her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Joey returned just as Lauren stepped out of the bathroom dressed in last night's clothes. Joey had a flashback of the dress of the lampshade and Lauren taking off her bra…he licked his lips and smiled at her, he wasn't going to mention it unless she did. 'Hey. Morning, how do you feel?' he asked her.

'Better now that I've showered' she told him 'and the painkillers and coffee helped, thanks'

'Any time' he said with a smile. 'Are you hungry?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head, turning a little green.

'I'm never going to eat or drink ever again' she told him. Joey laughed at her.

'Everyone says that' he told her softly 'you'll feel better later on today' he said to her. 'Promise'

Lauren smiled at him 'if you say so' she said walking back over to the bed and sitting down. She picked up her coffee and took a drink.

'What do you have planned for today?' he asked her 'are you working?'

'Nope' she shook her head 'Not back on shift until tomorrow, thank God. And I really don't have much planned for today' she put her cup down and stood up 'In fact I should probably go home' she told him 'leave you in peace' she said pulling her shoes onto her feet. 'Thanks for letting me stay here last night, I hope I didn't do or say anything embarrassing' she said to hi softly.

'Course not, babe. I'm all for saving damsel's in distress' he grinned at her 'are you sure you need to leave? I was sort of hoping we could spend my last day here together' he said to her as she walked to the door. Her hand froze on the door handle as she felt her heart sink.

'You're leaving?' she asked him, turning around to look at him. 'Today?'

'Yes, later on this afternoon' he nodded his head 'Sam called from Hawaii, there's a problem at the bar and I need to go back' he lied.

'I was hoping you'd be staying for longer. You've only been here for 7 days' the disappointment was clear in her voice, on her face and it made Joey feel bad.

'I know, I hoped so too, but the bar is my livelihood' he told her 'I have to go'

Lauren sighed, looking down at her feet, when she looked back up at him her eyes were swimming with tears. 'But I don't want you to go' she whispered.

'Hey, come on' he said to her 'we'll see each other again, and we can still write letters and call each other' he promised her. Lauren nodded and sniffed and she walked over to him and he hugged her tightly, closing his eyes. He hated doing this, but he knew he had to.

'What time is your flight?' she asked him.

'Five o'clock' he replied.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren insisted on going to the airport with Joey, despite him telling her she didn't need to. He was, however, secretly pleased she was so stubborn as he wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to her just yet…even though they'd spent the day together. She had gotten hungry at lunch time so he nipped out and brought some sandwiches from the café and they ate lunch in his room. The day flew by and he found it more and more difficult as his departure time grew closer not to tell her what he really thought about her boyfriend, Marcus, or how he felt about her. He sighed as he checked the boards to see what gate he'd be leaving from.

Lauren followed him to the departure lounge, she'd been very quiet on the way to the airport in the cab and once again he felt guilty, knowing he was the cause of her silence. He could stay for longer, everything was fine in Hawaii. He didn't need to go back. He contemplated briefly changing his mind and staying in Walford for a bit longer, but he knew he was just making it more difficult for himself. The sooner he left the sooner he could start moving on and forgetting about Lauren. He licked his lips as he looked at her. And it would probably be better for her too…stop the friction between her and Marcus.

'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you to come and see me off' he told her softly, seeing how upset she was.

'I wanted to' she said with a small smile 'I don't know when I'm going to get to see you again. It's not as though either of us can just jump on a plane and spend a weekend together' she said to him 'the flights are really expensive' she told him.

'Well we both need to start saving then don't we, hey?' he asked her 'maybe we both save up enough for half the fare and you can come out and see me? You wouldn't need money for a hotel you can come and stay with me' he smiled.

'I'd like that' she nodded her head, her smile growing bigger, 'I'd like that a lot' she said.

'Good' Joey smiled back at her 'then we have a plan' His flight was announced over the PA system. 'Okay, that's me' he said standing up 'come and give me a hug' he held his arms open to her. She moved into them quickly, hugging him tightly. 'I'm glad I came' he told her softly 'I've had a great time, but I can't wait to get back to the warm weather and the golden sands and the blue seas' he said as he slipped a folded envelope in to her pocket.

'Stop! You're making me jealous' she pouted and she pulled away from him as they announced his flight again. 'You'd better go. You don't want to miss your flight do you?' she asked him.

'No' he said with a sigh, bending to pick his bags up. He gazed at her for a short time and Lauren thought he looked as though he wanted to say something to her, but he didn't. Instead he shifted the bags onto one hand and raised his hand and brushed her cheek gently with his fingers. 'Take care of yourself, okay?' he asked her.

'I will. You too' she smiled at him, catching his fingers in hers as he removed them, she squeezed them gently. 'You'll call me and let me know you got back safe right?' she questioned him.

'Of course I will, babe' he told her with a smile. She held onto his fingers until she had to let them go and she sighed, as she watched him walking away from her. She couldn't help the feeling that this was a goodbye and that she'd never see him again.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey forced himself to walk away from the girl he'd fallen in love with. She'd found someone else and seemed to be very happy with him. He was a fool for thinking there would be anything between them now. It wasn't as though he was going to stay in Walford, he had a life back in Hawaii…well not a life exactly. He had a bar…and that was it. That's all he had. That was all he'd wanted when he first went out there. But now…now he wanted more. He wanted Lauren, but she wasn't his…not anymore. He paused "bugger it" he thought to himself and he turned back to her, dropping his bags on the floor as he ran towards her. When he reached her his hands cupped her face and he kissed her. Not a peck on the cheek, a full blown lover's kiss. When the kiss ended he let her go and turned away without saying a word. He ran back to his bags, picked them up and disappeared through the gate to board the plane. Lauren blinked, her fingers touching her lips. They were tingling in much the same way they did when they first kissed so many months ago in Hawaii.

In that moment she knew that Joey had lied to her, he'd been expecting more from her when he came to Walford. She felt terrible, she wished he'd been honest with her, but understood why he hadn't been. It couldn't have been easy for him to see her with Marcus, or listen to her rave about how great he was. She should have waited for him, but she wasn't sure that he wanted to have more with her. Now Joey had gone and they couldn't talk about it…she's have to wait until he called her and then she'd ask him why he lied to her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey sat on the plane as he headed home. He knew he shouldn't have kissed Lauren like that, but he couldn't help it. If he was never going to see her again he wanted to have one last kiss to remember her by. He'd written her a letter that morning, whilst she was sleeping and slipped it into her pocket as they'd hugged, he had a sudden unwelcome thought that Lauren might not be the one to find it. Maybe he shouldn't have slipped it into her pocket…well it was too late now. He'd have to wait to see if she said anything about it when he called her…if he called her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren put her hands in her pockets, feeling for her keys as she walked up the steps to the door to her house. She pulled out paper with her keys, frowning as she looked at it, she saw it was an envelope with Joey's writing on the front. Opening the door, she went inside, heading straight up the stairs and into her room, closing the door behind her. She climbed onto the bed and ripped open the envelope, not even bothering to take her coat off.

 _ **Dear Lauren**_

 _ **I'm writing this as you lie asleep in my bed at the B &B. And you're either reading this in the taxi on the way home, or you found it when you were searching in your pockets for your keys to get into the house. **_Lauren smiled as she read that. Joey knew her so well. __

_**I made a mistake in coming here. You're happy with your life now and I feel as though me being here is pulling you away from that. If I kissed you at the airport, you're probably wondering why I kissed you like that just before I left. The only reason I can give you is that I wanted to. It's as simple as that. If I'm truthful kissing you is all I've thought about doing since you left Hawaii. I've missed you so much, Lauren.**_

 _ **I know you're with Marcus now and I know I shouldn't have kissed you…I'm sorry I did. No, that was a lie. I'm not sorry I kissed you. I lied to you…when I came here I'd hoped that you and I would pick up from where we left off, we were so good together…weren't we?**_

 _ **I'm sorry, Lauren. I probably shouldn't have told you that. I'd better go before I say more stupid things…if I didn't kiss you then I've probably already said stupid things.**_

 _ **Oh and one more thing? Marcus…I don't like him. I don't think he's the one for you. He's a dickhead and you could do so much better than him. You deserve so much better.**_

 _ **It was really great seeing you again, Lauren. Take care of yourself.**_

 _ **Love always**_

 _ **Joey xxx**_

Lauren frowned, she reread the letter. It sounded like Joey was saying goodbye. Even though he'd promised her they'd see each other again, the letter said otherwise. The feeling she'd had at the airport returned, heavier this time. She had a really bad feeling that she wouldn't hear from him again and that didn't make her feel great. Her eyes filled with tears.

 **AN: So Joey has left and Lauren is feeling sad about it. And he kissed her at the airport. Poor Lauren and Joey… let's hope that can talk about things soon….back tomorrow don't forget to leave me a review.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Over the next few months Lauren wrote Joey a letter every week and tried to call him. But he either didn't answer his phone or he was busy…either way he never called her back, despite the numerous messages and texts she left him. She'd almost given up on him when she got a letter Masood handed to her just outside her house. She raced back up the stairs and into the privacy of her room. She said down on the bed and tore the letter open.

 _ **Dear Lauren.**_

 _ **I'm sorry I haven't written over the past couple of months, things have been pretty hectic here. We're in the height of tourist season and I've been really busy…rushed off my feet actually and I've not had any time to myself. All I've had time to do is work, eat and sleep!**_

 _ **I hope everything is okay there and that you're happy. At the end of the day that's all I want for you.**_

 _ **My dad's been calling me every day now, insisting I grow up, pack up and come home, so I haven't been carrying my phone around with me, he can't call me if I don't have my phone with me…well so I thought anyway. Now it's switched off and in a drawer in the house. So if you've been trying to call me I'm sorry but at least now you know why you haven't been able to get through.**_

 _ **The weather here is great, really hot which means more profits for me! It also means I'm shattered pretty much all of the time…I really need to get some help with the bar.**_

 _ **I had a stripping gig last night. A divorce party for a change. I made $450 in tips from the women…a pretty great night and your gift went down a treat. I got propositioned by a 47-year old woman who looked like she was 23, but I politely declined it. I'm not sure I want to be a toy boy!**_

 _ **Anyway I have to go, talk soon.**_

 _ **Joey.**_

Lauren folded the letter and pushed it back into the envelope. This letter was a lot different than the other letters he'd sent her. For starters there was no "love Joey" on the bottom, or any kisses. No "I miss you" either. There was no mention of her previous letters or any answers to the questions she'd asked him. Especially the one she wanted answered the most. That question was "WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU KISS ME IN THE AIRPORT AND THEN JUST LEAVE?"

She sighed and put the letter in a box on her bedside table. She didn't know if she was going to write back to him or not. She lay down on the bed and sighed just as her phone beeped. Reaching into her pocket she pulled her phone out and read the text message from Marcus.

"WHERE R U? UR L8!"

She sighed and she got off the bed and headed out of the house, sending a quick text back to tell him she was almost there.

 **AN: A short but sweet chapter…Joey seems to be ignoring the questions in Lauren's letters…if only she had the money to go and see him, but she doesn't and it doesn't look like he's going to have a chance to come back anytime soon…don't forget to leave me a review….back later…maybe.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty**

Another month passed and Lauren had sent another four letters to Joey, this time, a week apart. In the first one she asked him to call her, telling him that they needed to talk, but she didn't get a reply. The fourth letter was also the last letter that she sent him. If he wasn't even going to be bothered to reply, then she wasn't going to write to him anymore. What was the point? He was the one acting like an idiot, not her. He'd told her that they were friends, she'd tried to maintain their friendship, but Joey wasn't even trying, not even meeting her half way. So in this last letter she told him everything that had gone on in her life in the time since she'd sent the last letter. She told him she thought he was being an idiot, but if that's what he wanted to be then that was up to him. She'd also told him this was going to be the last letter that she wrote to him unless she heard back from him. She'd poured her heart and soul into this letter, telling him he wasn't being fair to her. They'd never promised each other anything, she didn't go looking for anyone, it just kind of happened. She was angry with him in the letter, telling him he should've told her the truth about his feelings for her, maybe then things would've been different between the two of them when he came to visit. She told him he was being selfish and childish and if that was the type of person he was then she didn't want to know him anymore. She'd told him that he'd tarnished her memories of Hawaii and she wished he'd never come to visit her now, no matter how badly she'd wanted to see him. She'd called him a coward and said she should have realised all along that's what he was. He'd run away from a bad relationship and never had the guts to go home and face up to things. She had and that made her better than him in her book.

Lauren posted the letter with no regrets, she'd said what needed to be said. Lauren wasn't expecting a reply from him. She was certain Joey wasn't even reading her letters anyway. Now she was finally free to start living her life, without having to think about the "what if's."

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later that night, Lauren couldn't sleep and she found herself downstairs on the sofa. She was second guessing herself, wondering if sending that last letter to Joey was a good idea. Not that she could do anything about it now. She'd already posted it and there was no way of getting it back. She chewed on her nails as she stared at the mobile phone on the coffee table, maybe she should call Joey, give him one more chance. She reached for the phone, snatching it off the table and she dialled his number, it rang fifteen times before she hung up. Obviously his voicemail was full…or perhaps he'd turned off the voicemail option so that his father couldn't leave any messages for him…or maybe he'd turned it off so she couldn't. Maybe he really didn't want to hear from her anymore. She dropped the phone beside her as she thought about that. Joey kissed her at the airport and told her in the letter he'd slipped in her pocket that he wanted to be with her. Since that day she'd had exactly one letter from him, one letter that didn't really tell her anything and since then…nothing. Not a phone call not a text. Nothing. If he cared about her, like he claimed he did, how could he treat her like that? She frowned as she tried to figure out the answer.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

When Max got up the next morning, he was surprised to find Lauren on the sofa. 'Sweetheart?' he said as he walked in, she looked up at him and he could see she'd been crying. 'Hey, come on now' he said softly, pulling her into a hug 'what's all the tears about?' he asked her.

'I...I t…th…ought he l…l…liked m…me' she sobbed

'Marcus?' he frowned. 'I thought you broke up with him?' he asked her confused. Lauren had been furious when she'd got home after breaking up with Marcus. She'd discovered him cheating on her with a new member of the bar staff in the cellar.

'N…Not M…Marcus…Jo…Joey' she sniffed and hugged her dad a little tighter.

'Joey?' Max repeated. She nodded her head and sobbed harder. 'Sweetheart, Joey left months ago' he told her, even more confused.

'He's written me one letter since he left after he kissed me at the airport and now he's gone…'

'Wait, he kissed you?' Lauren pulled back to look at him and she nodded her head. 'At the airport?'

'Yes' she whispered, 'and now he won't write to me, or call me or anything…' she sniffed and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. 'He's just gone…and I didn't do anything wrong…it's not fair…'

Max sighed and he closed his eyes briefly. 'I know it feels terrible right now, Lauren, but I promise you that things will get better. You're gorgeous and you will meet the man of your dreams one day and you'll laugh about this very moment' he told her 'Marcus wasn't right for you and I don't think this Joey bloke is either, not if he's stupid enough to just cut off all contact with you. It's his loss, babe, not yours' he said and he reached out and wiped her tears away with her knuckles. 'Now come on, dry your eyes and let your old man make you a bacon sarnie' he told her with a small smile.

'Can I have tommy k?' she asked him in a small voice.

'Yes, of course you can, darling' Max nodded his head and he stood up, taking her hand and pulling her up too.

'It still hurts dad' Lauren told him.

'I know it does' Max nodded his head as his put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. 'But you need to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and go out into the world and show everyone how strong you are. You don't need a man to define you, sweetheart. You're Lauren Branning. You're a tough little cookie'

'I don't feel tough' Lauren said as she sat down at the kitchen table. 'I feel like a cookie that's all crumbled and broken.

'Remember Stuart?' he asked her, Lauren looked up at him and nodded her head.

'You got through that didn't you? You didn't think you would, but you did'

'But…Joey helped' Lauren said softly.

'And I will help you this time' Max said to her. 'You have a job now, you're making money. Whitney's birthday is coming up, why don't you and Lucy work on surprising her for her birthday? Do something to take your mind off things?' he asked her.

'I guess' Lauren said with a shrug.

'After breakfast, you go find Lucy and start making plans to give Whitney the best birthday ever okay?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head.

'Okay, thanks dad'

'There's my girl' he smiled at her, turning towards the fridge and grabbing some bacon.

 **AN: Poor Lauren, Joey's just cut her out of his life completely and she doesn't understand why. I think he's being a bit mean really. She's right, they never promised each other anything and maybe if he'd been honest with her in his letters about his feelings for her, maybe she and Marcus wouldn't have happened. She hasn't done anything wrong. Hopefully her dad's pep talk has made her feel a bit better. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave e a review.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Over the next couple of weeks, Lucy and Lauren set about making arrangements for Whitney's birthday surprise. They knew she wanted to go clubbing on her birthday but didn't want to go to the club on the square so Lauren and Lucy had done some recon on other clubs in London until they found the perfect one to take Whitney to. They'd told Tyler all about it so he was in on the surprise and knew where to take Whitney on the night of her birthday. Lauren and Lucy had told Whitney they couldn't make the night out but they'd promised to take her out during the day for an all girl's pampering session. Lucy had told Whitney she had a family meal planned and she'd tried to get out it but her dad was insisting she was there and Lauren said she had to work and she couldn't get the shift off and she'd tried to swop with someone else but no one was free. Whitney wasn't exactly overjoyed at the prospect of not seeing the girls for her birthday night, but was placated by the pampering session.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max could see that Lauren was becoming more like her old self again and he was pleased that she seemed to have moved on from Joey, although every now and then he would find her staring into space, lost in her thoughts. He wondered why Joey would suddenly just disappear if he was keen on his daughter, part of him wondered if Joey had realised that all they'd shared was a holiday romance and nothing more, but if that was the case it didn't explain why he'd kissed her at the airport. Max frowned and then shrugged, he didn't need to worry about his daughter's love life. Besides, he thought it would do her some good to be on her own for a while, get herself sorted out before she embarked on another relationship.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The day of Whitney's birthday arrived and an amused Carol let Lucy and Lauren into the house at around half past seven in the morning. She'd told the two girls Whitney was still in bed, so the two of them had crept up the stairs, snuck into Whitney's room and then proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to Whitney whilst jumping up and down on her bed. Carol heard Whitney's screams in the kitchen and she laughed softly. The three of them had been friends for as long as she could remember, and every year Lauren and Lucy would wake Whitney up this way, but she never seemed to anticipate they would, and every year it still came as a surprise to her. Mainly due to the fact that Lauren and Lucy promised profusely that they wouldn't do it again next year. She could hear the girls giggling as they pulled Whitney out of bed and then took her into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. She'd placed two cups of coffee on the kitchen table as Lauren and Lucy came down the stairs and into the kitchen, both of them giggling. 'She falls for that every year' Lucy said as they sat down, 'thanks Carol' she said with a smile.

'You're welcome' she smiled back at her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The girls made sure Whitney had a good day and then they dropped her back off at the square at 5:00pm. Whitney made a last ditch effort to get the two of them to come to the club with her, but Lauren and Lucy were both insistent that they couldn't but told her that she would have a great night with Tyler. With Whitney safe inside her house, the two girls raced across the square to Lauren's and ran up to the bedroom, excited about the surprise they had in store for Whitney later that night.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren watched from the bar as Whitney and Tyler and Lucy and a guy, she thought was named Julian, dancing. She'd declined to go with them, she felt like a fifth wheel…again. She smiled as she remembered the look on Whitney's face when she saw Lauren and Lucy waiting for her outside the club with a huge bunch of balloons and a huge bouquet of flowers. Lauren was pleased that she'd arranged the perfect birthday for her friend…but now she had nothing to focus on and she found her thoughts turning once again towards Joey. She sighed and turned back to the bar and picked up her drink taking a sip, she'd asked for a Mai Tai but now she wished she hadn't because it was just reminding her of Joey. She frowned and pushed the drink away, gesturing to the barman and ordering a vodka and coke when he came over to her.

She slid off the stool with her drink and walked to the side of the club and leant up against the wall, people watching. She watched couples talking together, flirting with each other, and she spotted a few people who were here just to find someone to hook up with. There were also a few people on first dates. She smiled wondering who wold bring a girl to a club on a first date. It's not as though you could actually have a civilised conversation in a place like this. She took a mouthful of drink as she continued to scan the club goers.

Lauren spotted someone she thought she recognised on the other side of the club and her heart almost stopped beating in her chest. She pushed away from the wall to stand upright and she looked at him. It couldn't be him. He was in Hawaii. She watched as he spoke to a couple of people and then pushed his way through the crowd of people and headed out of the door. Lauren followed, putting her drink down on a table as she walked past it. She forced her way through the stream of people coming into the club, stepping outside into the cool night air. He was walking away from the club, she took a couple of steps after him, wondering if it was him. Well there was only one way to find out. 'Joey?' she called out softly. The man stopped and turned round to look at her. Surprise crossed his face as they stared at each other.

 **AN: Seems as though Lauren took Max's advice and threw herself into planning the perfect birthday for her friend Whitney…but then she thought she saw Joey in the club where she had taken Whitney….but that can't be right, he's in Hawaii, right? Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Two**

'Lauren?' Joey blinked at her. 'What are you doing here?'

'I was going to ask you the same thing' she said to him 'I didn't know you were in London' she folded her arms across her chest, looking at him expectantly.

'Last minute trip' he told her 'you're a little far from Walford aren't you?'

'It's Whitney's birthday' she explained. She licked her lips 'are you here for long?'

'A day or two' he shrugged, looking over her shoulder 'maybe longer, I don't know' he told her.

Lauren nodded her head with a frown as she realised something. 'So…I guess the fact you didn't tell me you were coming means you didn't want to see me' she said and she looked down, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. 'And this is somewhat awkward' she closed her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again and turned and walked back into the club. Joey stared after her for a few moments before turning and waking away. He only got as far as a couple of hundred yards and he stopped, turning to glance over his shoulder.

'Shit!' he murmured under his breath.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked to the bar and sat down, glancing over her shoulder to see Whitney and Lucy still on the dance floor. She'd been having a great time with her friends…until they'd coupled off and then she'd found herself thinking about Joey and then she actually saw him. Now her mood had deflated and all she wanted to do was go home and wallow in her misery, but she knew the others weren't ready to go home yet, and it was Whitney's birthday and she couldn't put a dampener on that, so she decided to do the next best thing and get drunk instead. She sat patiently at the bar as she waited for the bar staff to get to her.

'Can I buy you a drink?' she heard Joey's voice beside her.

'I can buy my own drinks, thank you' she said to him frostily. A glass appeared in front of her.

'It's a Mai Tai' he said 'not as good as the ones I make…or you for that matter' he told her, sitting on the stool next to her.

Lauren turned and pushed the glass back towards Joey 'why don't you go and pester someone else?' she told him with a frown, sliding off the stool and walking to a different part of the bar. Joey sighed, picking up the drinks and carried them over to her.

'You could wait a long time to be served, it's pretty busy in here and I have a drink here that's just going to waste' he said to her 'I know how much you like Mai Tai's'

'You got served' Lauren bit back at him.

'I did…hence the two drinks' he said 'come on, Lauren don't be like this'

'How do you expect me to be?' Lauren spun round to look at him angrily. She pushed past him and made her way out of the club. Joey rolled his eyes and put the drinks down on the table and followed her. She was pulling her coat on and marching down the road at quite a pace. Joey had to run to catch up with her.

'I'm sorry' he said once he was in step with her. 'I honestly didn't know I was coming to London. Dad called me and said mum was sick…he was pretty vague with the details but made it clear she wanted to see me and he implied she didn't have much time left' he told her.

Lauren stopped walking and looked at him 'Is she okay?' she asked him in concern.

'Yeah, she's fine' Joey frowned, stopping too 'she's got the flu is all and dad exaggerated everything to get me back here so he could talk to me about coming back to London to live, offered me a job, said I could go work for him'

'What does he do?' she asked him as they started walking again.

'Probably nothing that's legit' Joey replied. 'He's been in and out of prison my whole life' he told her 'Although he hasn't been in prison since Alice was 13'

'Maybe he decided to go on the straight?' Lauren suggested.

Joey scoffed 'more than likely he just hasn't been caught' he replied. Lauren sighed and started to walk again, pushing her hands into her pockets.

'Well it sounds like you've had a wasted journey then' she told him. Joey sighed and caught up with her again. They walked out to the high street and Lauren looked up and down the street to see if she could find a taxi to hail.

'We could walk back to Walford' Joey said 'it's only 5 miles or so, we can talk, catch up?' he suggested.

'I don't think we have anything to talk about, do you?' Lauren asked him 'I mean you've been back in Hawaii for four months and I've had exactly 2 letters from you. The last one being only a paragraph in length. '154 words in total. You know, I'm not even sure you can call that an actual letter. It's more of a memo'

'I'm sorry, I've been busy at the bar, tourist season. You know how it is' he shrugged. Pushing his hands into his pockets. 'I meant to write more, Lauren, I did'

'Taxi!' Lauren called out, waving her hand in the air as she saw a cab coming towards her.

'It's got people in it' Joey said 'it won't stop' he told her. Sure enough the cab drove straight past them. Lauren sighed and she started walking towards Walford. Joey sighed, catching her up again. 'So…how's your job going?' he said trying to make conversation with her.

'Fine'

'And are you still living with your parents?'

'Yes'

'And how's that going?'

'Fine'

Joey nodded his head 'that's great' he took a breath and blew it out through his lips.

'All of this you would know if you'd read any of the letters that I've sent you, which clearly you haven't' Lauren told him, coming to a standstill again and glaring at him.

'How are things with you and Marcus?' he asked her, ignoring the fact she was glaring at him angrily.

'You'd also know that' she said. 'You know I think the airport is that way' she pointed in the opposite direction she was intending on going and she started to walk again.

Joey sighed as he watched her walk away 'that girl is so stubborn' he muttered to himself.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren had been walking for twenty minutes when a car pulled up beside her. 'I found a cab' Joey called, winding down the window 'get in' Lauren glanced at him and shook her head. 'Come on, babe. Don't be so stubborn. A twenty-minute car ride and you won't have to see me again. If that's what you want' Lauren kept walking without saying a word to him. 'It's going to rain…and you'll get soaked through and probably end up with a cold or the flu' he told her 'Come on, Lauren, just get in the car' Lauren sighed and she stopped walking and turned to the cab.

'If I get in will you shut up?' she asked him.

Joey nodded his head and motioned with his hands zipping his mouth shut, smirking at her as she remembered she'd done the very same thing to him. She didn't smile back. Lauren crossed the street to the cab, Joey opened the door and scooted over slightly so she could get into the back seat.

'Albert Square, Walford please, mate' Joey said.

 **AN: So we know why Joey is back in Walford and we also know he didn't read any of the letters that she'd sent to him. He said he's been busy working at the bar…but is that the truth? I wonder how the taxi ride back to Walford is going to go? Back tomorrow don't forget to leave me a review.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Lauren stared out of the window as they drove home. She was so angry at the moment. Mainly with herself for going after Joey when she saw him. She should've realised he wouldn't want to see her, he'd only written her two letters over the past four months and hadn't called or text her once. She felt stupid. She'd written him so many letters, which obviously he hadn't even read. He didn't care after all…and she followed after him like a love sick puppy. She frowned and sniffed, feeling tears fill her eyes, she knew they were about a fifteen-minute walk from the square if she got out of the cab now, a five-minute drive…but she was close to tears and she was determined she wasn't going to let Joey see her cry. She leant forward to speak to the taxi driver 'can you let me out here, please?' she asked him.

'Of course, darling' he replied. He pulled the cab into a bus stop and Lauren got out of the car, slamming the door before she ran across the road to get on the pavement, where she started to walk home. A few minutes later she heard footsteps behind her and she sighed.

'I'm not going to let you walk home by yourself' he told her 'it's not safe out on the streets' he said softly. Lauren didn't reply 'I'm sorry. You're right, I didn't read the letters you've sent me. I've still got them though. I just…I didn't want to read how great your life is here and how wonderful Marcus is' he said.

'Marcus and I broke up a month ago' Lauren said. 'Turns out his definition of being faithful leaves a lot to be desired'

'I'm sorry' Joey said.

'Are you?' Lauren frowned, spinning round to look at him 'you didn't even like him. What was it you said in your letter? You said he was a dickhead'

'Turns out I was right' he replied with a smug smile.

'Well bully for you' she snapped at him angrily. And she started walking again 'some friend you turned out to be' she told him.

'I'm sorry' he called after her. 'Lauren wait!'

'How can you kiss me like that at the airport and then just leave?' she frowned at him 'We never made promises to each other, Joey…if you told me how you felt…'

'Oh and that would've stopped you getting involved with Marcus?' he growled at her.

'Yes…maybe' she said 'I don't know…it might've made a difference' she sighed and stopped walking and turned to face him 'you could've been honest with me'

Joey sighed and looked down briefly 'I know. I'm sorry. I was just…scared.'

'Of me?' Lauren asked surprised.

'Not of you' he shook his head 'scared you wouldn't feel the same way' he told her 'scared I would make a complete fool out of myself…because we never promised each other anything...for all I knew, the six weeks in Hawaii, could have just been a holiday romance for you.' He admitted to her 'I was worried if I said anything I'd ruin our friendship'

Lauren licked her lips 'you wouldn't have done' she told him softly.

'And I felt guilty' he said to her 'if I did tell you how I felt, I was still in Hawaii and you were still here. We'd hardly see each other…long distance relationships don't work…' he trailed off.

'It worked out so far' she replied. 'Well it was anyway'

'Until I screwed it up' he frowned.

'Yeah, I was going to say until you turned into a fucking idiot about it, but yes, until you screwed it up!' Lauren started walking again. Joey fell into step beside her.

'I'm sorry' he said 'I'm an idiot'

'Yes, you are' Lauren nodded her head in agreement. They crossed the street and turned a corner

'Do you actually know where you're going?' Joey asked her 'because I'm completely lost right now' he said looking around. Lauren laughed softly.

'Yes, I know where I'm going. I do live in London'

'That's good' he said nodding his head. 'I'll just follow you then'

They walked a little way in silence and Lauren spoke. 'Where are you staying?' she asked him.

'The B&B in the square' he said to her 'I dropped my bags off there this morning'

'Were you planning on coming to see me?' she asked him.

'I don't know. Maybe' he said 'I was more worried about my mum' he said licking his lips. 'I hoped I'd get to see you' he told her.

Lauren glanced sideways at him 'you actually expect me to believe that?' she asked him, with a slight frown.

'Why else would I book into the B&B that's right on your doorstep?' he asked her. 'I really am sorry you and Marcus didn't work out' he told her 'sorry that you got hurt'

'Thank you' Lauren said softly a small smile on her face.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked Joey to the B&B and she looked down at her shoes, 'well this is you' she said 'and I'm just over the square'

'Do you want to go to the Vic? Have a drink?' he asked her.

'Nope. Marcus is in there tonight. Which is one of the reasons we ended up in the West End' she replied.

'Oh…well I could go to the shop and get a bottle of wine?' he suggested.

'It's past 11, it's already closed'

'Or I could get a bottle from the Vic?' Joey glanced towards the pub.

Lauren shook her head 'I'm not really in the mood to drink anymore' she replied.

'Oh, okay' he said, he looked around the square before looking back at Lauren, 'do you want to come in for a coffee?'

'I'm not thirsty' Lauren shook her head. 'Will you still be here tomorrow?' she asked him.

'Yes, of course I will' he nodded his head once. 'You going to bring me breakfast?' he asked her hopefully.

She smiled at him 'maybe, maybe not' she replied 'Good night Joey' she said softly, her anger towards him had dissipated and she climbed up the step that separated them and kissing his cheek gently.

'Night, Lauren' he whispered. She moved back down the step, her intention to walk across the square and go home, when Joey caught her hand. She turned to look at him and his eyes burnt into hers. He tugged her back towards him, cupping her face with his free hand, drawing her into a kiss. 'Stay with me?' he whispered nervously when the kiss ended. 'Stay the night?'

Lauren swallowed nervously, but nodded her head. 'Okay' she replied. Joey smiled, kissing her once more before leading her inside the B&B.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

From the edge of the gardens, Max stared at his daughter and the man he didn't recognise as they kissed. He'd left the Vic and crossed the street to go home and saw Lauren standing outside the B&B. He wondered who she'd picked up at the club tonight. He frowned, this wasn't what he meant when he'd told Lauren to do things to take her mind off Joey! He decided he'd nip this behaviour in the bud, making up his mind to talk to her about it in the morning when she came home.

 **AN: So Lauren's worked through her myriad of emotions during the journey home and the two of them have talked and Joey has explained and I think the two of them are going to be able to work on being friends again… Of course Max doesn't know that it's Joey that she's with…I wonder what he's going to say to her in the morning? And I winder what Joey and Lauren are going to be getting up to! Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Lauren was the last one into his room so she turned and shut the door, turning the key in the lock. She turned to see where Joey was and discovered he was standing right behind her, very close behind her…in front of her now. He'd already taken his jacket off and had thrown it at the chair and missed by a mile. She looked up at him and he reached out and undid the buttons on her coat and then pushed it off her shoulders, she heard the soft thud as it hit the ground at her feet. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sound of their breathing, the speed of it gradually increasing as the tension built between them both. Joey moved first, his hand, slowly rising and caressing the curve of her cheek. His fingers brushed back into her hair, pushing it away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. There was a sense of anticipation in the air as his hands moved again, running down her side, pushing the zip of her top down so it slid off her. She felt the heat of his gaze as his eyes ran over frame and she felt self-conscious as she stood in front of him, the deep red of her strapless bra making her skin look even paler than it was. She wished the tan she'd got when she was in Hawaii was still present... and she didn't look so ghostlike... God damn the British weather...

She breathed in as his hands ran over her frame, barely touching her skin but sending fire through her still. She looked up at his face, seeing the passion in his eyes and her breath faltered. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, scared to see the intensity on his face now. She therefore missed his next move... his fingers running along the waistline of her skinny jeans, grazing the surface of her skin

again. It was like little trails of fire... or the Hawaii sunshine... was leaking from his fingers and she couldn't think straight as a result.

Joey looked at her, his eyes flitting over her body, familiarising himself with a sight that had haunted his dreams for days... weeks... months... forever. He pulled his hands away from her, working on removing his own clothes as she stood before him. He could see the way she was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she stood with her eyes closed. He smiled, knowing she was fighting every urge... the same way he was. He wanted this to be different... not the same as the first time they'd slept together... just as passionate and meaningful but definitely slower... savouring the time he had with her, just in case he never got this moment with her again. He shoved his jeans down from his hips, pushing them down the remainder of the way down with his feet and then kicking them across the floor, out of their way. He moved his focus back to her, only his boxers left on his body and he was sure that if he was alone he'd be freezing but in the here and now, it felt as hot as if there were a furnace in the room. He hesitantly undid the front of her jeans, still very aware that she could change her mind at any time and that was the last thing he wanted. His breath faltered as he pushed them down her body, pausing what he was doing as he saw the scrap of red lace that adorned her body beneath... there was hardly anything to it... she looked amazing... even more beautiful than he'd remembered. All too soon she was only wearing her underwear.

He slipped his hands in both of hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing them gently. She opened her eyes and he looked into them, captured by the warmth in their depths. He pulled on her hands and she almost stumbled forward, her body pressing against his delectably. He released her hands and lifted her easily in his arms, his hands settling on the cheeks of her bum and realising she was wearing a thong... taking his breath away again. He turned and lowered her onto the mattress of the bed, staring down at her as she lay temptingly before him. He moved slowly around the bed, her head turning so their eyes remained locked together as he did so and then he climbed into the bed beside her, pulling the duvet up so it covered them both.

Lauren looked up into his eyes and he smiled at her, moving over her. He held his body off her with his hands, resting them by her head as he slowly lowered his lips to hers. Kissing her tenderly, teasingly. Lauren's hands held onto his wrists, slowly sliding them up his arms to his shoulders, he dropped to rest on his elbows as he deepened the kiss. He rolled her suddenly, so she was on top of him, he was still kissing her hungrily. One hand buried in her hair, the other on the small of her back. He slid it higher and with a slight flick of his wrist, her bra was undone. And then his fingers were dancing over her back, pulling her closer against him. Long moments later and his hands slid to her bottom and he squeezed gently and then looped his thumbs into the material at her hips and he eased them down. He rolled her again and then he was on his knees as he pulled her thong off and down her legs, tossing them over his shoulder. He let his eyes wander over her naked body, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. She was perfect. And she was his…even if it was just for one night. Although he hoped to God it wasn't. His eyes met hers again and she had a faint blush on her cheeks, no doubt from him looking at her naked body. He smiled at her and he crawled over her again, his lips skimming lightly over hers before pressing a light kiss to the tip of her nose. Lauren slid her hands over his back, feeling the muscles beneath undulate as he moved. His lips caressed her neck as one hand moved to her breast and her nipple, she groaned deep in her throat as his fingers rolled and squeezed the little bud.

Lauren's hands slid under the elastic of his boxer shorts and she pushed the material down, needing to feel him inside her. 'Please' she murmured 'please…I need you.' Joey knew exactly what she meant, so much for taking things slowly. He traced her neck with his lips, moving lower, kissing her jaw, her collar bone, before pressing his lips to her nipple, tasting it with his tongue. Moving slower than Lauren would've like he kissed a path over her stomach and then he was gone. She heard him get off the bed to remove his boxers and then he was hovering over her again. She gazed into his eyes, they were a darker brown now than they usually were, if that were even possible. He licked his lips as he positioned himself at her entrance, bending his head to kiss her again, his tongue plunging into her mouth as he slowly pressed forward.

Lauren moaned softly as he moved inside her, his engorged cock touching her in all the right places. She curled her toes as little waves of pleasure travelled through her body, arching her back off the mattress as she dug her fingers into his back.

'Oh God…Joey!' she moaned loudly. 'Please…please…more….please' she begged him.

Joey began to thrust harder and faster inside her, her nails dug into his flesh painfully, but sent little jolts of pleasure through his skin where they connected. He groaned loudly and bent his head to capture her lips with his. Her thighs tightened on him and he knew she was close. He broke the kiss, needing to breathe and she groaned loudly. He wondered for a split second if she'd been loud enough to wake any of the other guests in the B&B and then decided he didn't care if she had. There was nothing and no one that was going to stop him from making love to the beautiful girl beneath him.

'Joey…Joey…JOEY!' she cried as her orgasm rocketed through her. Marcus had never made her feel like this. Stuart hadn't made her feel like this…only Joey had. She gripped him tightly as she heard his breathing become erratic signalling his imminent release.

'LAUREN!' he exclaimed as he pulsed inside her. 'Oh God, Lauren' he mumbled as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

When they'd recovered, Joey pressed a kiss to her neck before he raised his head to look down at her. He brushed his nose against her lightly 'hi' he whispered softly.

'Hi' she replied with a shy smile.

'I've missed you' he kissed her softly, pulling away to look at her as his fingers trailed over her cheeks and her lips.

'I've missed you too, Joey' she told him quietly 'so much' she licked her lips 'don't ever leave me again'

Joey shook his head 'I won't, I promise'

'We'll figure out the long distance thing…' she said softly. Joey shook his head gently.

'We don't have to talk about that now. We can talk about it tomorrow' he told her 'Right now we have more important things to be doing' he smiled at the frown that she wore. She gasped when she felt him enter her again, slowly moving until he was fully inside her. He bent his head, kissing her again as he began to move. It was going to be a very long and very pleasurable night for the both of them.

 **AN: Well it looks as though Lauren and Joey have reacquainted in the biblical sense too! I think we should leave them to enjoy the rest of their evening…don't' forget to leave me a review.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

Lauren was the first to wake up the next morning and it took her a few moments to remember where she was. She smiled as she remembered the best night of her life she'd just spent with Joey. Turning her head her smile widened as she saw his head on the pillow next to her. What started out to be a pretty shitty day had ended being the best day ever. She glanced at the clock, it was 7:30am. The café would be open now. She climbed out of bed and pulled on her clothes and grabbed her purse deciding she would get coffee and bagels for them both. Then when they'd eaten that, maybe they'd have sex again, then they could talk about what happens next with their relationship. Talk about how they would make their relationship work with her being in Walford and Joey being in Hawaii. She would never ask him to give up his life there, she knew how much he loved it. She would give up her life here for him though, to be with him if he asked her to. But would he ask her? Would that even be what he wanted? Was that moving too fast? She didn't have all the answers but between them she was certain they'd figure it all out. She bent over the sleeping Adonis and kissed him softly on the lips, careful not to wake him. She snuck out of the room, crept along the corridor and let herself out of the B&B, making sure she'd put the latch on so she could get back in with their breakfast.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She was surprised to see Lucy serving behind the counter as she walked into the Café. 'Oh, there you are. Don't tell anyone you're leaving will you, we'd hate to spend over an hour looking for you' Lucy frowned at her friend. 'We'd hate to be worried about where the fuck you got to!'

'Sorry. Last minute decision' Lauren told her 'I text you' she lied.

'A likely story' Lucy said knowingly, narrowing her eyes at her friend 'wait…why are you wearing last night's clothes? Are you doing the walk of shame Lauren Branning?' she teased her.

'No. I'm not' Lauren hissed at her, glancing around to see who else was in the café. 'Can I get two coffees and two toasted bagels with cream cheese and bacon please?' she asked her.

'Two?' Lucy said, looking out of the window to see if there was someone outside waiting for Lauren.

'Yes, two please' Lauren nodded her head with a smile. Lucy turned and checked on the bacon she already had frying and put some bagels in the toaster, she turned back to Lauren.

'So, where did you go last night?' she leant on the counter with her head in her hands as she waited for Lauren to answer. She stared at her friend and then narrowed her eyes at her 'you had sex last night!' she exclaimed loudly.

'Lucy Beale! Will you please keep your voice down!?' Lauren glared at her. 'Yes, if you must know I did have sex last night, the best sex of my life'

'Well come on, don't leave me in suspense. Tell me everything, who is he? Do I know him? How good was the sex?'

'Those are three very good questions, Lucy. Two of which I would like to know the answers to, the third not so much…' Max said from the doorway looking unimpressed.

Lauren turned to look at him 'Morning dad' she smiled at him.

'Don't morning me, young lady' he frowned at her. 'Where the hell have you been?' he asked her 'your mother has been worried sick about you'

'I'm sorry…' Lauren said 'I can explain everything I promise' she told him.

'I'm all ears' he said gesturing to a table.

'Not now, later' she said 'Right now I have some place to be' she grinned at him as Lucy put her order on the table. Lauren reached for her purse.

'It's on the house' Lucy grinned at her.

'Thanks Luce' she picked everything up and turned to look at her dad 'Later, dad okay? I promise' she told him as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He sighed and opened the café door for her and she headed back towards the B&B.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She'd almost made it back to the B&B when she heard Marcus call her name. She pretended she didn't hear him and increased her pace a little in a futile attempt to lose him. 'Lauren!' he shouted out again, loud enough to wake anyone in the nearby houses. She stopped and spun round to face him.

'What?' she hissed at him 'I'm kind of in a hurry'

'I thought we could talk?' he asked her.

'About?' she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

'Us' he looked at her expectantly.

'There is no us. We're over remember?' Lauren said and turned to go, but Marcus caught her arm.

'Please, it'll only take five minutes' he told her.

'Lauren closed her eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh. 'If it's about us getting back together then I'll save you the trouble. There's not a chance in Hell I will go out with you again'

'It's not about that' he shook his head. 'I wanted to say I was sorry' he told her.

'You just said it' Lauren said turning to go again.

'Please just five minutes' he pleaded with her. Lauren glanced over at the B&B and prayed that Joey was still sleeping and oblivious to her absence.

'Okay fine. Five minutes Marcus and that's it' she said. He led her to the gardens and pulled her to sit on the bench. She put the breakfast she'd brought for her and Joey down and turned to look at Marcus.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren breathed a sigh of relief as she made it back to the B&B without any further interruptions. She'd been much longer that she'd intended to be. She wished she'd thought to leave Joey a note to tell him where she was going and that she was coming back. Actually in hindsight she wished she'd never left his bed. Well next time she wouldn't. She'd just have to make sure they had supplies in his room so they could make their own breakfast.

She let herself into the B&B and crept up the stairs, pausing when she heard movement in an adjacent room. Satisfied she wasn't going to get caught she crept up the rest of the stairs and snuck along the corridor to Joey's room. She let herself in and quietly turned the key in the door.

She toed off her shoes and turned to the bed. It was empty. She frowned and glanced towards the bathroom. The door was closed and she figured Joey was probably in there. She put their breakfast down on the bedside table and stripped off her clothes, keeping her underwear on and she got back into the bed. The bed she never should've left.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After five minutes, Joey hadn't come out of the bathroom. Lauren frowned, climbing out of the bed and walked to the door. She didn't want to interrupt him if he was busy in there. She'd just call out to let him know she was back.

'Joey? I'm back. I brought breakfast' she called through the door. She waited for a reply but none came. 'Joey?' she called out again. She was met with silence. She tried the handle and the door opened. She stepped into the bathroom and found it was empty. 'Joey?' she frowned. She stepped back into the room and noticed for the first time that his clothes were gone from the floor, as was his jacket and his bags. She realised he'd gone. But she didn't understand why. She thought he wanted to be with her. She walked to the bed and sat down, feeling her heart breaking again. How could he sleep with her and then leave her like that. Maybe he'd changed his mind about her, about them. Maybe all he wanted last night was sex. She frowned. No. He wanted more. He wanted them to be together, she knew he did. The only reason he'd leave without a word was if something had happened…maybe his mother was sicker than he'd let on. Of course if that were the case then he'd need to rush over to be by her side. She dressed quickly and ran out of the B&B and looked around the square, trying to see if she could spot him anywhere.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Marcus! Marcus!' she shouted out as she ran towards him. 'Have you seen Joey?' she asked him.

'Joey? Your "friend" from Hawaii Joey?' he asked her using his fingers to make air quotes around the word friend.

'Yes. Joey from Hawaii. Have you seen him?'

'Is that who you brought breakfast for?' he asked her.

Lauren was beginning to lose her patience with him 'Yes if you must know it was. Now will you just answer the damned question?'

'Yep I've seen him. He was looking out of window at us in the gardens' he told her 'he didn't look very happy about something and then a couple of minutes later he came out of the B&B and headed towards the tube station'

'How long ago was that?' she asked him

'About ten minutes ago' he said with a shrug.

'Why didn't you say anything?'

'I didn't know that was where you were going did I?' he frowned at her. Lauren glared at him and ran back to the B&B she looked up at the window and then turned to look at the gardens. He would have been able to see Marcus's face but not hers. She would've had her back to him and the hug Marcus had insisted she give him to prove they were still friends could probably have looked like something else. She frowned. She could kill Marcus, she really could. But right now she could also kill Joey for just taking off like that. Again! She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled his number as she ran towards the tube station.

'Joey?' Lauren cried out when he answered 'where are you….'

'This is Joey Matthews, leave me a message and I'll call you back, thanks' his answer phone message played in her ear.

'Joey, it's Lauren. Please call me back…what you saw in the gardens wasn't what you thought it was, I swear. I went out to get breakfast for us…Please Joey call me back…I want to be with you. I…I love you' she hung up the phone and prayed he would call her.

 **AN: Oh no! I wonder what's happened to make Joey leave? Was Lauren right, was his mother sicker than he was letting on and he needed to rush back to be with her? Let's hope he picks up the phone and calls her and lets her know what's happening. Don't forget to leave me a review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

After she spent an hour looking for him and calling him with no luck she headed back to her house. She heard her mother's voice as she let herself in with the key. 'Lauren is that you?' her mother appeared in the hallway as she stepped inside. The angry retort died on her lips when she saw her daughters tear stained face. 'Lauren? What's happened? Are you okay?'

'I don't want to talk about it, mum' Lauren told her and she pushed past her, running upstairs to her room. She stripped off her clothes, wrapped her body in her robe and went into the bathroom, starting the shower going. She undid her robe and let it drop to the floor and she stepped under the hot water.

She didn't understand how Joey could just leave like that, not after they'd just spent an incredible night together. Unless that was all he was after, sex. Sure he'd said and done the right things to make her think he wanted more and she'd believed him so easily, given him what he wanted so easily too. She felt cheap, dirty. Like she'd just had a one-night stand. She felt used and angry…as well as upset…devastated even. She felt the tears sting her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, sitting down in the bottom of the shower she cried.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After half an hour she turned off the shower and dried herself, returning to her room. She picked up her phone off the bedside table and checked it, hoping to find Joey had called her or at least text her but there was nothing. Maybe her earlier assumptions had been right, maybe something had happened to his mum and he'd had to leave. Of course he wouldn't have had time to wait for her or phone her to tell her what had happened, his first priority would be to get home to see her. She knew people could die from flu…she didn't know much about his mother, or his family really, except that he loved his mother very much and despised his father. Maybe he'd call her when he knew what was going on and after he'd listened to her voicemails. She heard her mother leave the house and she decided she was feeling a bit better about things so she dressed and headed down stairs.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She was gently shaken awake, opening her eyes she saw her dad crouched down beside her. 'Your phone's been ringing' he told her. Lauren shot up right and grabbed it off the coffee table, scrolling through her missed calls and texts. Max saw the disappointment on her face and she sighed and dropped the phone back onto the table. 'Not who you wanted to hear from?' he asked her.

'Something like that, yeah' she said and she pushed herself off the sofa and walked through to the kitchen. Her dad followed her, leaning against the door frame, watching as she made a coffee. The happy glowing Lauren that he'd bumped into in the café early this morning had gone. Now she was miserable and he could tell she'd been crying.

'What's happened?' he asked her. Lauren glanced at him as she spooned coffee into the cups.

'It doesn't matter' she whispered.

'Yes it does. You looked like you'd won the lottery this morning and now you look as though you've been given bad news' he told her 'Did something happen between you and the boy I saw you with last night outside the B&B?' Lauren looked up at him in surprise. 'I was heading home from the Vic and I saw you, I thought you were coming home so I was waiting for you and then he grabbed your hand and pulled you back…I'm assuming he's who you spent the night with?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded her head 'yes, he was' she said. She poured the water into the cups as Max moved to the fridge to get the milk.

'So who was he? Someone you picked up at the club last night?' he asked her, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table and taking a seat.

'No dad' Lauren said shaking her head 'That was Joey' she told him.

Max frowned, he recognised the name but he couldn't think where from. His eyes widened as he remembered. 'Hawaii Joey?'

'Yeah dad, Hawaii Joey' Lauren nodded, she carried the cups to the table placing on in front of her dad and then sitting beside him at the table. 'I didn't know he was back in London. I bumped into him at the club we went to last night' she said softly 'his mum is sick and his dad called him to tell him he needed to get home to see her' she explained to him 'Joey said she only had the flu and his dad used it as an excuse to get him to come back to London so he could tell Joey that it was about time he grew up and came home and got a proper job'

'I take it Joey doesn't get on with his dad?'

'No, not really' Lauren shook her head 'His dad wants him to do something more along the lines of his work and Joey's happy owning and running a bar in Hawaii'

'Why did he leave London and move to Hawaii?' he asked her.

Lauren sighed. 'He caught his girlfriend cheating with his best mate the day before their wedding' she said, putting her cup down on the table, curling her hands around it. 'They were supposed to be honeymooning in Hawaii…Joey went on his own and never went home' Max nodded his head 'he said he wanted to be with me' Lauren said softly 'he said he hadn't been able to stop thinking about me…we were going to talk this morning about how we would make things work. You know with me being here and him being in Hawaii' she whispered. 'I went out to get us some breakfast, you stopped me first and then Marcus. When I got back to the B&B I thought he was in the bathroom, so I waited for him. But he'd gone' she frowned 'He just left' she swallowed, 'when I realised he'd gone I got dressed again and I went looking for him. I bumped into Marcus again and he said Joey had been watching us together in the gardens from the window of the B&B and he saw him leave a few minutes later…I looked for him everywhere, I tried to find him, dad but he just vanished. I've left so many voicemails on his phone…texts'

'Maybe his mother was sicker than he thought and he had to go' Max said softly.

Lauren nodded her head 'that's what I thought too' she said to him 'he'll listen to the voicemails and call me right?' she looked up at him expectantly. Max wasn't sure he would and wasn't sure what to say to her. On one hand he didn't want to get her hopes up but on the other hand he didn't want her to look like someone had just run over her puppy either.

'I'm sure he will, darling' Max nodded his head. Lauren smiled at him, nodding her head again.

'I think so too' she told him. Max watched her drinking her coffee. He wasn't so sure. To him it sounded as though he'd told his daughter what she needed to hear to get her into bed. He promised himself if he ever saw Joey again he would be having a few words with him.

 **AN: Well Max seems to think that Joey just wanted to get his daughter in bed…which he did. Poor Lauren! Let's hope that Joey calls soon. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Later that night Lauren still hadn't heard anything from Joey. She'd been religiously checking her phone every hour to see if he'd called her or text her, but there was nothing.

She was now curled upon the sofa, with a blanket around her, holding a cup of hot chocolate with some little marshmallows floating on the top, her mum had made it for her as whenever Lauren was upset as a little girl it made her feel better. But it wasn't doing its job this time. Lauren doubted anything would make her feel better. Well there was only one thing that would make her feel better and that was hearing from Joey, but she'd given up on that actually happening. She reached for another tissue from the box which was lodged between the arm of the sofa and her and wiped away her tears. She sniffed and Tanya exchanged worried looks with Max. She hadn't been this upset when she'd broken up with Marcus. Tanya gave her husband a look and he got up and left the room, heading into the kitchen.

'Darling, I know you feel awful right now' Tanya said softly once Max was out of earshot 'but I promise you it won't last' she sat down beside her daughter, putting her arm around her, Lauren laid her head on her shoulder. 'You're not the first girl to feel crappy after having a one-night stand and you certainly won't be the last' she continued. 'Now not to make the same mistake again don't you, hey?' she asked her.

Lauren frowned, pulling away from her mother 'it wasn't a one-night stand, mum. He wanted to be with me, I know it. We're going to be together and work things out' she told her angrily 'I love him and I know he loves me!' she snapped and she slammed her cup down on the coffee table, slopping marshmallows and hot chocolate over the glass. She snatched up her phone and ran up the stairs. A few moments later Tanya and Max heard her bedroom door slam shut. Tanya sighed, closing her eyes as she realised she'd just made things worse not better.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren dialled Joey's number again and as always it went through to his voicemail. She didn't leave a message. She'd already left 20. If he hadn't called her back after those why would one more make any difference? She sighed and dialled his number again, just needing to hear his voice.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren woke up in the early hours of the morning and walked down stairs, made herself a coffee and carried it through to the lounge. She turned on the TV and started to skip through the channels to find something to watch. She settled on an old black and white movie she remembered watching with her Nan when she was little. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew she was being shaken. She opened her eyes to see her dad there. 'There's a fresh coffee for you there' he told her with a smile. He grabbed the remote from her and flicked it over to the news. Lauren sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes before reaching for the coffee.

'Thanks, dad' she said softly so she didn't wake anyone else.

'Anytime' he smiled at her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren wasn't really listening to the news. Abi had just got up and was making a fuss in the kitchen about someone not buying her favourite brand of cereal again and her mother was doing her best to placate her. Lauren sighed and she stood up. 'Going back to bed?' Max asked her.

'Yeah, this noise is doing my head in' she nodded towards the kitchen.

'Don't blame you' he smirked at her. She'd just stepped through the door when she heard the news reporter say something about an earthquake off the South American coast that was 8.5 magnitude on the Richter scale. It happened in the early hours of this morning, UK time. She paused in the doorway and turned back to the TV, moving back into the room. She looked at the map they were showing on the screen and frowned seeing Hawaii 'Lauren?' Max asked her worriedly when she sat down on the sofa.

'Ssh' she glanced at him briefly. Focusing her attention back on the news reader, but the report had already finished. She sighed and he frowned at her.

'It was off the coast Lauren, nowhere near Hawaii. There's nothing for you to worry about' her told her softly. She nodded her head.

'I'm heading up to bed' she told him.

'Alright darling' he smiled at her as she made her way up the stairs just as Tanya came into the room.

'Was that Lauren?' she frowned 'I hope she's going to get dressed. She's not moping around the house all day over some boy'

'Leave her Tan' Max asked her softly. 'She's tired. I found her on the sofa this morning when I got up' he looked at her 'I'll talk to her later tonight'

'You'd better' Tanya frowned and marched back into the kitchen and resumed shouting at Abi.

Max rolled his eyes with a sigh. There was nothing like the mornings in the Branning household.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max came home for lunch and found Lauren on the sofa. 'Hello, sweetheart, fancy some lunch?' he asked her.

'Please' she nodded her head with a smile. Max smiled as he made his way into the kitchen, she was already starting to go back to being her old self. He heard the music signalling the news was on and then he heard a scream from the lounge, he dropped the glass he'd filled with water and rushed through, finding Lauren in tears with her face in her hands. He looked at the TV and saw aerial pictures of a tsunami.

'Where's that babe?' he asked her.

'Hilo Bay in Hawaii' she replied in a whisper. Max looked at Lauren and swallowed knowing what she was going to say next 'where Joey lives' a haunted expression on her face.

 **AN: So Tanya's trying to make Lauren feel better but not doing so well, with Abi throwing a tantrum about breakfast cereal and Lauren moping about the house she's near the end of her tether, but Max is being supportive. There's been an earthquake which has caused a tsunami off the coast of Hawaii…but is Joey there or is he with his mother in London? Don't forget to leave me a review… back tomorrow.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

After three days of waiting, Lauren had finally made it to the beach. She looked out towards the ocean, the water was still and blue, soft gentle waves crashed against the golden sandy beach. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was beaming its hot rays down onto her skin. It was hard to believe the ocean had done all this. She turned and looked around at the uprooted trees that were laying on the ground. Parts of buildings were also laying around, left when the water receded back to its natural home. As she glanced around at the rubble on the ground, the total devastation and loss hit her. She walked around surveying the damage, she stood on something and looked down, moving her foot out of the way. It was a child's shoe. She crouched down and picked it up, it was so small, the child who owned it couldn't have been any older than three years old. Tears stung her eyes as she realised lives would've been lost here too. She put the shoe back where she found it and got to her feet and looked around. The hotel was still there…well part of it anyway. The decking on the front had been destroyed and washed away by the sea, as though it had never been there. She needed to get to the bar, to see if there was anything left. Not that she thought for a moment there would be, but perhaps that was where Joey was. As she walked across the sand, being mindful of the rubble around her, she saw the inhabitants of the island clearing the sand of the debris. She came to the spot the bar should've been. As she'd suspected it was gone. A cold hand of fear clutched at her heart. What if Joey was in it when the tsunami hit. Yes, there was a warning system in place, but Lauren knew from watching TV how quickly the waves hit once the warning had been sounded. What if he didn't have enough time to get away…she hated to think of him being swept away in the water with the hundreds of other people who'd lost their lives in this disaster.

She knew from the news she'd seen on the TV at the airport that aid and help was being sent to Hilo Bay both from the UK and America and other parts of Hawaii. She'd seen the devastation on the news reports but nothing had prepared her to see it with her own eyes. As she walked further inland she could hear people crying and screaming. She glanced to her left and saw a woman kneeling in the sand, as she moved past her she could she was crying over the body of a small child. Lauren wondered if the shoe she'd found earlier belonged to the dead child. A wave of grief swept over her and then she was crying too, her tears were hot as they rolled down her cheeks. She felt so sorry for the broken woman on the sand and wanted to help her, to comfort her, but she knew there was nothing she could do. The only words she had were "I'm sorry" and she knew they'd be little comfort for the woman who was grieving over the body of her child.

Lauren kept walking. She found the spot where Joey's house had once stood. Most of it had been washed away. Bizarrely, all that was left was the door and parts of the walls either side supporting it. Not knowing why she did it, Lauren tried the door and it opened, showing her the sand the other side of the door. Her heart was racing in her chest and her tears were still falling, but instead of tears of compassion, they were tears of grief. If Joey had been in the bar, in the house or even on the beach he would've been washed away. Joey was gone. And that explained why he hadn't called her back… he couldn't because he was dead.

She covered her mouth with her hand and pressed one hand to her stomach as she bit back loud wails and sobs of grief. She didn't know what to do now. She'd come to the island to see him, to apologise. She didn't like the way he'd left Walford…left her. She needed to make him understand what he may have seen wasn't what it looked like. She needed him to know she was coming back…to him. She pulled the door closed and turned to survey the damage and devastation once again. She wanted to help. She needed to help. She saw a Red Cross worker and she headed towards him.

'Excuse me' she said and he turned and looked at her. 'I'd like…I'd like to help…with anything' she said to him brushing her tears away from her face.

'Of course, thanks, we could use all the help we can get. What can you do?' he asked her.

'I'm not medically trained…but I can paint…build things…I draw…I used to teach art to 6 year olds' she trailed off, suddenly feeling useless.

'That's great' he nodded his head with a smile. 'We could use someone like you over at the shelter…to look after the kids?' he suggested. 'Do you think you could do that?'

'Y..yes' she nodded her head.

'Brian! Can you take…?' he looked at her.

'Lauren' she replied

'Can you take Lauren to the shelter? She's volunteered to watch over the kids'

'Sure' Brian came over to them both 'follow me' he said to her 'we have some paperwork for you to fill in and an Id badge for you to wear that shows you're a volunteer'

'Okay' she nodded her head.

'So what brings you to Hilo Bay?' Brian asked her as they walked.

'I was…looking for my friend…he owned a bar a little ways down the beach but it's gone and so is the house he lived in…I don't know where he is…' she trailed off and sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

'I'm sorry' Brian said 'I hope you find him' he told her as they reached a jeep. The two of them got inside and he headed inland.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren found herself in a school that was now being used as a makeshift children's shelter. Children who'd been separated from their parents during the confusion of the tsunami. Lauren was hopeful that the children could be reunited with their parents in time. Word was being spread over the island that this is where the children had been brought. Lauren looked at them all. They were happy and playing and laughing with each other. The innocence of youth knew nothing about the catastrophe that had happened, the loss of lives, homes and livelihoods. Yes, some of them had cuts and bruises and there were even a couple that looked a little tearful but in the main, they were unscathed. She looked around in the cupboards and found some paper and pencils and she gathered all the children together and got them to draw pictures to decorate the walls.

 **AN: Poor Lauren…Poor people of Hilo Bay. Lauren wants to stay and help, but I think she's staying to see if Joey is going to show up. Where is he? Don't forget to leave me a review, back tomorrow.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

A week passed and Lauren walked down to the beach, just in front of where the bar used to be. The clean-up effort over the past few days had removed nearly all of the debris and the bodies they subsequently found underneath. Lauren had helped and she was relieved, yet at the same time disappointed when the body turned out not to be Joey. Not that she wanted Joey to be dead…even though it was more than likely he was. She just wanted closure. She wanted to see for herself. She wanted to know for certain that Joey was dead. Even though she knew in her heart he was.

'I thought I might find you here' Lauren heard a familiar voice behind her. She didn't turn round. She felt someone sit down next to her 'your dad told me where you were and he's worried, your mum is too' Lucy said softly, putting her arm around her. Lauren lay her head on her shoulder. 'It's difficult to believe this is the same place we visited a year ago' Lucy said to her.

'I'm not going back yet' Lauren told her determinedly.

'I know' Lucy said 'I'm not here to take you home, I'm here because you need your best friend. I'm here to help' she told her. 'I'm sorry I couldn't come with you when you came out...I had the flu…' They were both quiet for a while. Staring at the smooth calm waters of the ocean, both of them thinking the same thing, how could something so peaceful and beautiful wreak such devastation?

'He's gone' Lauren said eventually 'Joey…the bar and his house are gone…he's not here. I've looked everywhere for him, I've asked some of the locals but they haven't seen him…he's gone…' her voice broke and she dissolved into tears.

'I know, I'm sorry Lauren, I'm so sorry' Lucy told her, hugging her tightly. Kissing the top of her head. 'I'm sorry'

'I…I…love…loved him…and h...he…he… d…didn't even k…know it…' she sobbed brokenly.

'I'm sure he did, Lauren. Even if you never told him, I'm sure he knew how you felt about him' Lucy told her. 'You never told me and I knew how you felt about him, probably before you'd even figured it out for yourself. And he loved you' Lucy said 'what you two had was special, a once in a lifetime kind of thing and he knew that. You were lucky to have that…a lot of people never get that in their whole life…take comfort from that'

'I…I…m…m…miss….h…him…s…s…so…much' Lauren hiccupped

'I know you do' Lucy said to her 'and if there was anything I could do to bring him back you know I would do it'

Lauren nodded her head 'I'm…glad you're here' she said sniffing and wiping her face.

'Where else would I be when my best friend needs me?' Lucy said to her.

Lauren sniffed again and the two girls fell quiet again, the occasional sob from Lauren the only thing breaking the silence.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked along the shoreline, letting the water run over her bare feet. She felt dead inside. She had no idea what she was going to do now. She didn't feel this way when she ran out on her marriage with Stuart. She felt free then, as though she had the rest of her life ahead of her to do whatever she wanted to do…but now that Joey was dead…she felt as though her whole world had ended. She couldn't imagine ever feeling normal again, feeling alive again. Lucy had been great, supporting her and comforting her when she broke down in tears, which was numerous times. She'd been the best friend Lauren needed her to be.

Lauren thought back to the last time she'd seen Joey. She'd made a monumental mess of things again, something she always did when there was something good in her life. She wished she could've done things differently, said things she never got the chance to say to him. She kept walking and found herself near the bar…or where the bar used to be. Her heart leapt in her chest as she saw someone else standing there. For a split second she thought it was Joey. But when he turned round she saw that it wasn't and her heart broke all over again for the man she'd loved and lost.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren looked around the walls of the make-shift children's centre that had been set up after the tsunami. The walls were covered with pictures the children had drawn during the times Lauren was distracting them from what had happened. All of the children had gone now, some of them were lucky enough to be collected by worried parents who had been looking for them for a couple of days, all of them fearing the worst. Lauren had been hugged and thanked so many times by people she didn't even know, by people who were so grateful she'd taken care of their children for them. But other children were not so lucky. Their parents never came, they'd been victims of the tsunami themselves. Relatives had been contacted and they had come to take the children home with them instead, so at least there had been a happy ending of sorts for the orphaned children.

Lauren was supposed to be packing up the centre but she couldn't bring herself to take down the pictures. Lucy was watching her from the doorway and she smiled and walked over to her. 'You could take the pictures home you know' she told her softly.

Lauren glanced at her and nodded her head 'I think I'd like that' she smiled at her friend 'that's a really good idea' she said softly.

'Don't sound so surprised, I do have them now and again' Lucy teased her softly. The two girls started to take down the pictures until there was only one left on the wall. Lucy saw it was a drawing of Joey. 'What about this one?' she asked her.

'I think we should leave it here' Lauren said softly.

'Are you sure?' Lucy asked her friend. Lauren stared at the picture sadly and nodded her head.

'This one doesn't get a happy ending' she said quietly. Lucy smiled at her sadly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked along the beach towards the place where Joey's house once stood. In her hand she carried a beautiful Hawaiian lei, made up of purple orchids. Lucy had talked her into going home tomorrow. Lucy persuaded her she couldn't stay in Hawaii and torture herself over Joey anymore and Lauren finally agreed it was time to go home, so tonight, under the full moon, she was going to say goodbye to him. She lay the lei on the ground and closed her eyes for a few moments. 'I'm sorry, Joey' she whispered softly 'I never got the chance to tell you I loved you…you shouldn't have left like that...' she told him 'If you hadn't left Walford you'd still be alive. I miss you...I miss you so much…' she trailed off as her eyes filled with tears. 'I'll never forget you, Joey' she whispered. She turned and walked towards the beach, watching the moonlight dancing on the water. She wrapped her arms around herself even though she wasn't cold.

Lauren promised herself she would never forget Joey. She also vowed she would never forgive herself for his death. Because it was her fault. If she hadn't gone to speak to Marcus, Joey wouldn't have got the wrong end of the stick and left. She wished he'd returned her call because then it would've meant that maybe he wouldn't have got on the plane, that he wouldn't have gone back to Hawaii…he wouldn't have been there when the tsunami hit. He wouldn't be dead.

 **AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews everyone** **Well it seems as though Lucy does know how to be a best friend after all! Who would have thought she would be the one to go after Lauren and support her and persuade her to come home? poor Lauren, Joey's nowhere to be found. She's going to have to go back to Walford and move on with her life knowing that Joey is no longer going to be part of it. She blames herself for his death…Poor Lauren…I wonder what the future holds for her now? Back tomorrow…don't forget to leave me a review.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty**

Both Lauren's parents were waiting for them at the airport when they got off the plane. Max looked at Lucy and she shook her head. Max closed his eyes briefly before watching his daughter walk towards them. 'Sweetheart, I'm so sorry' he whispered as he took her into his arms.

'I was too late, dad' she murmured as tears filled her eyes again. 'I was too late'

'Sssh…let's get you home' he said softly.

Lucy and Tanya took Lauren's bags and they followed behind father and daughter in silence. Tanya drove with Lucy in the passenger seat and Lauren and Max in the back seat, they could hear Lauren sobbing quietly. Max was thankful when she fell asleep during the journey home, and when they arrived in Albert Square he lifted her out of the car carefully and carried her into the house and up the stairs to her room, laying her carefully in the bed. Tanya and Lucy brought the bags up and left them in her room to unpack later.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'How has she been?' Max asked Lucy as he handed her a glass of whiskey. Tanya took a seat beside Lucy, clutching her glass of whiskey tightly in her hands.

'Busy during the day. She helped with the clean up and took care of the kids who'd lost their parents at a school in town. Most of them were reunited with their parents' she told them both. 'She had them all describe what their parents looked like so she could draw pictures of them. She'd pin them onto the wall in the school and then she took copies of them and handed them to the Red Cross workers on the beach so they could try to find the kid's parents' she told them. 'The place still looked bad when I got there, but I would hate to have seen what it looked like when Lauren arrived' she said and she closed her eyes briefly. 'A couple of bodies washed up on the shore when I was there, one of a small boy about 6 years old and a white male about Joey's age. But it wasn't him' she told them shaking her head. 'The way Lauren reacted when it wasn't him though…I think she's certain that he's dead but just wanted to see his body or something, like she needs closure' Lucy took a sip of whiskey 'she has nightmares…she won't talk to me about them but I think they're about the things she's seen…' she trailed off. 'She wakes up screaming and crying…' she licked her lips.

'Thank you for going after her' Tanya said to her squeezing her arm 'and bringing her back' she said. 'We watched the news on the TV. The aftermath they showed looked pretty bad, but we can only imagine what she saw…' she trailed off.

'She's my best friend, she would've done the same for me' Lucy told her softly. 'I'd better go, see dad…he's worried too' she said as she drained her glass.

'Of course' Max said as Lucy stood up. He took the glass from her, leading her to the door. He put the glass on the table by the stairs. 'Thanks again, Lucy'

'Tell Lauren, I'll come by tomorrow' she said. Max nodded his head.

'I will' he replied as he opened the door. He watched as Lucy stepped outside and headed across the square. He closed the door and turned and looked up the stairs, listening to see if he could hear Lauren moving around, but all was quiet. He'd seen Lauren and the boy that he now knew was Joey outside the B&B three nights before Lauren left for Hawaii. He'd seen Lauren kiss him on the cheek and Joey grab her hand as she turned to walk away and pull her back towards him and into a kiss. He'd seen him lead her into the B&B and when Lauren still wasn't home the next morning he had a good idea of what had happened that night. He and Lauren had a long talk about things and Max felt helpless. There was nothing he could've said or done to make her feel better. There was only one person who could do that and now he was dead. He remembered the lunch time the next day when he'd come home to check on Lauren and the news reported a large 35ft tsunami had hit Hilo Bay in Hawaii and Lauren became hysterical. It took Max 24 hours to get the money together to buy her a ticket there. He only hoped that he would be able to get Lauren to open up to him and tell him what she saw out there. He hated to think of her out there alone, but he didn't have the money for another ticket and Lucy went out as soon as she had gotten over the worst of the flu. He moved back into the lounge and sat down next to Tanya.

'Do you think she'll be okay?' Tanya asked him softly.

'I don't know, babe' he replied softly 'we'll just have to take care of her' he said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Over the next couple of months, life for Lauren, since she'd returned from Hawaii had been difficult. She kept wanting to talk to Joey. Once or twice she found herself writing him a letter, but she had nowhere to post it and even if she did, there would be no one to read it, but that didn't stop her writing them. She needed to tell someone how she was feeling, what she'd seen.

She'd lost weight, not that she could really afford to lose weight, she was fit and healthy…well she used to be. She'd lost 1 and a half stone since she came home. Her parents were worried about her, her friends were worried about her. But Lauren told them she was fine. None of them believed her and she knew it, but she couldn't tell them the truth. She couldn't tell them about Joey…about what she'd done. That she'd got him killed.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren walked through town, she had to buy something for Abi for her birthday. She didn't have a clue what to get her. She'd planned to just give her some money but her mother insisted she needed to buy her an actual present, give her something personal and thoughtful. Lauren knew it was a ploy to get her out of the house as she'd barely left it since she'd been back and so, to appease her mother, Lauren was in town. She'd been in shop after shop after shop and she couldn't find anything she thought Abi would like.

Deciding she was thirsty she headed into a café and ordered a coffee and sat down with it at a window seat. She licked her lips and watched people walking by. A couple paused in front of the window to share a kiss. Lauren looked away, glancing around the café at the people inside. She looked back at her coffee and took a sip, glancing out of the window again. She saw someone she thought she recognised walk past the café window. 'Joey?' she whispered to herself. She stood up, jarring the table and knocking her coffee over it in her haste to leave. She ran outside and she couldn't see him anywhere

'Oh God, I'm going crazy' she whispered to herself as she felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. She gave up shopping and got on a bus back to Albert Square. She was still crying as she let herself into the house and fled up the stairs.

'Lauren?' Tanya called up after her. 'Lauren?'

 **AN: So Lauren and Lucy are finally home. Lauren's taken Joey's death pretty hard, blaming herself for what happened and Joey leaving. She's losing weight, she's shutting herself away in the house…she's telling everyone she'd fine when she's really not and now…now she's seen Joey…but did she see him or is she seeing what she wants to see? If you are all very very good you might get another chapter tonight, don't forget to leave me a review…**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-One**

Tanya ran up the stairs worried about her eldest daughter. She opened the bedroom door and found Lauren looking through her drawer for something, throwing everything she didn't need on the floor. 'Lauren, sweetheart. What's the matter, what's happened?' she asked her. 'Stop!' she grabbed Lauren by the arm as something heavy was tossed out of the drawer and whatever it was smashed on the floor. She dragged Lauren to the bed and sat her down on it. 'Talk to me, Lauren what happened?' she asked her.

'I saw him' she said 'At least I thought I saw him but it can't be him, can it?' she rambled on 'I tried to go after him but when I went outside he'd gone and he can't just disappear into thin air, can he?' she frowned and looked at her mother.

'Saw who, honey?' Tanya asked her sitting beside her daughter.

'Joey. I saw Joey' she exclaimed as it her mother were an idiot.

Tanya frowned 'Lauren, Joey's dead. You can't have seen him'

'I know that!' Lauren snapped at her 'I'm not stupid. I know he's dead' she ran her hands through her hair 'but I saw him, mum I _know_ I did' Lauren told her. 'I saw him…' she covered her face with her hands 'Oh god, I'm going crazy aren't I?' she sobbed brokenly.

Tanya put her arms around Lauren, holding her tightly. 'Of course you're not, sweetheart' she said softly, although part of her couldn't help thinking that maybe she was...just a tiny bit crazy 'It's just…you're not sleeping well, are you, hey? And you're not eating properly…maybe the combination of those things are making your brain play tricks on you, hey?'

Lauren looked at her 'do you think so?' she asked, hoping that was true.

Tanya nodded her head 'yes I do. Maybe we should make a doctor's appointment for you?' she asked her.

Lauren frowned 'what good would that do? Maybe I just need to get some sleep?' she suggested to her mother, 'have something to eat and then I'll feel a bit better?'

'I think so' Tanya nodded her head. 'Get undressed and get into bed' she said getting up and crossing over to the window, drawing the curtains. 'I'll come up and check on you later, perhaps dad can get a Chinese on the way home from work for dinner? Would you like that?'

'Please' Lauren nodded her head.

'Alright, I'll come and check on you later' she said with a smile. She left the room, leaving Lauren on her own. She walked downstairs and picked up the phone and called Max.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Back in her room, Lauren had climbed out of back out of bed, not able to relax until she continued to try to find what she'd been looking for before her mother interrupted her. Her fingers closed around it and she pulled it out of the drawer. It was her digital camera. Now she just needed her laptop. She walked round to her table and under all the papers she found her laptop. Carrying them back to the bed she sat down cross legged and started up the laptop. 'Come on, come on' she sighed impatiently, drumming her fingers on the bottom of the keyboard as she waited for it to start.

After what seemed like forever, her desktop appeared. She plugged in her camera through the USB port and started up the photo app. A few more minutes passed as she waited for the pictures to transfer from the camera to the laptop and then she started to scroll through them. Most of them were of her. Pictures Joey had taken. She knew there were a couple of him somewhere…there were over a hundred to go through. The nearer she got to the end the more frantic she got. Her heart was racing in her chest, thinking she'd imagined taking pictures of him. And then suddenly there it was. A picture of Joey leaning over the bar and smiling at her, dimples on his cheeks. She stopped and stared at it, her heart freezing as she took in the perfection that had been his face.

The picture didn't do him justice. He was much better looking in real life…or he had been anyway. Lauren frowned, racking her brains trying to remember when this picture was taken. Then she suddenly remembered. It was three weeks into her holiday and Joey had been teasing her about how moody and miserable she was when she'd first got there, and how much her soiled t-shirt and different coloured flip-flops had turned him on. At first he'd refused to pose for a picture for her, she'd begged and pleaded and offered him anything he wanted to get him to pose. He said all he wanted was a smile from her and he turned to look at her and she smiled at him. He leant forward and looked at the camera and Lauren had said something rude to make him smile and laugh and then she'd taken the picture. She couldn't remember what she'd said to him now, but she knew it had shocked him and then made him laugh.

She swallowed and grabbed her sketch pad and pencils and started to draw.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

It wasn't until she heard her sister shout up the stairs that dad was home and he'd brought dinner that Lauren was aware how much time had passed. She licked her lips and looked up at the screen of her laptop. It was black, so at some point she'd forgotten to brush her fingers over the mousepad to ensure the screen stayed active. She glanced at the half finished sketch on her lap. She wasn't hungry, she wanted to finish this drawing of Joey. All the others she'd done had lacked a certain something and she was determined she was going to keep going until she'd figured out what it was. She moved the book off her lap and stepped onto the floor, hearing paper crackling beneath her feet. Looking down she saw the floor was array with discarded drawings of Joey. She frowned, she hadn't been aware she'd drawn that many of him. She crossed the room to her door and opened it and went downstairs, realising she still had her coat on, she shrugged it off and hung it on the bannister before heading into the lounge.

Lauren walked through the door and took a seat at the table. She grabbed a container of sweet and sour pork and some rice and forked it onto her plate. Both Max and Tanya were pleased to see her eat again.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren had stayed downstairs after she'd eaten to watch a movie with her dad. When she went to bed she lay awake, staring into the darkness and she thought about Joey. About how he must've felt when the tsunami hit. The fear he must've had. She wondered if he'd drowned or had been smashed into a building and killed…she didn't know why she was being that morbid, she guessed she just wanted to know if he had suffered, if he'd been afraid…if he blamed her. She felt bile rising in her throat and clasped her hand over her mouth and darted through to the bathroom and threw up everything she'd eaten. Once she'd finished she rinsed her mouth with water, crept back to her room and curled up in her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest as she cried.

 **AN: Oh dear, Lauren's really obsessed with Joey…in a pretty unhealthy way…she can't sleep, she can't eat...or even keep food down when she does. She appears to have lost interest in living her life…this can't go on for much longer…someone needs to do something soon. Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. 1003 already ! Thank you :-)** **I am so glad that you are all enjoying it.** **Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Two**

Over the course of the next three weeks, Lauren returned to the café in town every day in the hopes of seeing Joey again. Her parents were pleased she was no longer moping around the house and thought she was on the way back to being her normal self. Today Lauren had been sitting in the café for over two hours but she didn't "see" Joey. She sighed and got up, walking out of the café. Maybe she was losing her mind. Maybe it was the guilt she felt for the part she'd played in his death that was making her imagine she was seeing him. She decided to go home, it wasn't that far to walk and she could use the fresh air and time to think. She wished she could see him again, even if it was just for a second to tell him she was sorry and that she loved him. And then suddenly she saw him, across the other side of the street. He was standing right there, almost looking through her. If she could just get to him, she could talk to him and tell him she was sorry. She stepped off the pavement to cross the road.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Lauren!' Stuart called out her name as she stepped out into the road without looking. Her attention seemed to be on something else. He ran as fast as he could, reaching her and grabbing her around the waist and yanking her backwards just as she stepped into the path of a bus. 'Lauren!' he spun her round to look at him once they were back on the path, brushing her hair out of her face and cupping her face in his hands. 'Lauren, what were you doing?' he asked her. He saw the tears in her eyes and how pale she was. 'What's happened, honey?' he asked her softly. 'Come on let's get you home' he told her, leading her a short distance to his car, struggling to move her as she kept trying to pull away from his distractedly looking over to the other side of the road. He finally got her inside, securing the seatbelt around her before he got into the car himself. He drove them towards Walford. He pulled up outside her parent's house and turned off the ignition. 'Lauren?' he said her name softly and she turned to look at him.

'Stuart? What are you doing here?' she asked him confused.

'I drove you home' he told her softly 'don't you remember?' he asked her with a frown.

She shook her head. 'I saw him' she told him.

'Who?' Stuart looked at her.

'I saw him but it couldn't have been him because he…he died' she frowned as her eyes filled with tears. 'I loved him and he didn't know…' she frowned as the tears rolled down her cheeks 'it was my fault…his death was my fault'

Stuart frowned 'who died, honey?' he asked her. Lauren blinked at him, shaking her head.

'It doesn't matter' she told him unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out of the car. She ran up the stairs to her house, fumbling with the lock. Stuart got out of the car, locking it and running up the stairs after her.

'Let me' he said taking the keys from her gently. He unlocked the door, led her inside and settled her on the sofa. He closed the door behind him. 'Tanya? Max?' he called out. Realising no-one was home he went into the lounge 'let's get your coat off hey?' he asked her. Lauren looked at him and nodded her head. She stood up and Stuart unbuttoned her coat and took if off her body. He carried it through to the hall and hung it on a hook by the door and went into the kitchen. He made two coffees and then carried them back to Lauren. He sat down next to her and handed her a drink.

'Thank you' she said softly.

'Tell me what's happened?' he said softly. Lauren blinked at him.

'Did you ever love me?' she asked him.

Stuart blinked, not expecting her to ask him that question. 'Yes. Of course I did' he said to her 'but I didn't notice how miserable you were in our relationship. I was too wrapped up in myself and my career to even notice…'

'We were happy once though, weren't we?' she looked at him.

Stuart nodded his head and he smiled 'yes, we were. I remember the time we first met and I fancied you something rotten but I was too chicken to come over and say anything to you' he told her 'we were at that party in that dodgy wine place…what was it called?' he frowned as he tried to remember.

'The Wine Cellar' she said.

'That's it' Stuart snapped his fingers. 'You were wearing a red halter neck top and a sequined black mini skirt, and your hair was curled' he smiled as he remembered, he leant back on the sofa and Lauren looked at him.

'I didn't mean to humiliate you and your family that day' she told him softly.

'I know you didn't' he replied just as softly.

'I should've called the wedding off sooner…but mum convinced me it was just cold feet….pre- wedding jitters' she explained to him 'I figured she was right but it wasn't until we were driving to the church I realised getting married would be a huge mistake…for both of us…I felt…' she trailed off wondering if she should tell him what she'd felt.

'You felt what?' he asked her.

'I felt as though I was going to be standing up in front of a firing squad instead of getting married. So dad sent to me to Hawaii' she said to him 'with Lucy'

'I bet she was a joy to have on your honeymoon' he said

'I think she shagged practically every single man on the island' Lauren told him. 'All but one at least…' she trailed off.

'That sounds like Lucy' Stuart laughed.

'She was such a cow to me too' Lauren said 'I felt awful and I was worried about you, and your parents and she told me to suck it up, stop moping and that I was the one who left you at the altar not the other way around and that I had no reason to be upset about it all' Lauren frowned as she remembered. She licked her lips and looked down into her coffee. 'I met someone there…I wasn't looking for anyone…it just sort of happened' she told him. 'We spent nearly six incredible weeks together and he came to say goodbye at the airport. We wrote letters to each other, called and text each other…He came to see me a while ago but I was with Marcus then. And Marcus turned out to be a total shithead' she frowned and glanced up at Stuart, she noticed he was watching her 'he came back to London a couple of weeks ago…his mother was sick but not as sick as his dad made her out to be and we bumped into each other again… by chance…and we talked about how we'd make things work and then the next morning he left again…' she trailed off. 'I don't know why…maybe he woke up and realised he didn't want to be with me after all.' She licked her lips 'or maybe he saw me talking to Marcus in the gardens…I don't know' she shrugged.

'Did you call him?' he asked her 'go after him?'

'I called him, I filled up his voicemail and I sent texts but he never replied' Lauren shook her head. 'And for the first time I realised how you must have felt when I just walked away without talking to you first' she told him.

'Sweetie, we don't have to worry about that' he told her with a smile 'It happened, we've both moved on' he told her.

'I _**am**_ sorry though, I never wanted to hurt you' she told him.

'I know that' he smiled at her gently 'I never questioned that' Lauren put her coffee down on the coffee table. 'This guy, whoever he is. He's an idiot for walking away from you and one day, if he hasn't done already, he's going to wake up and realise what an epic mistake he made'

Lauren shook her head sadly 'he won't'

'You don't know that' Stuart told her.

'Yes, I do…he's dead' she told him 'he was caught in the tsunami…he's gone'

Stuart stared at her 'Lauren, I'm so sorry' he told her, putting his cup down on the coffee table and moving to sit on the edge of the sofa, his hands covered hers.

'I miss him…so much…' she whispered as her tears started to fall again.

'Oh, honey…' Stuart moved forward and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his neck. 'It's going to be okay' he rubbed his hand up and down her back gently. 'I promise you, one day it's not going to hurt as much as it does now'

'I see him…everywhere' Lauren told him. 'He was standing on the other side of the street, just staring through me' she told him.

Stuart frowned 'Babe, there was no one there' he told her 'It was an empty bus stop'

Lauren shook his head 'No! I saw him' she told him adamantly 'I swear I saw him' she pulled back to look at him. 'No one believes me but I swear I saw him, as clearly as I'm looking at you now'

'But you can't be seeing him, honey. Not if he's dead' he shook his head.

'But I do' she whispered softly 'he's there in my dreams …if I sleep' she told him 'he's everywhere all the time'

Stuart swallowed, not liking the way Lauren was talking 'why don't you tell me some more about him, hey?' he asked her. Leaning back against the sofa and pulling her with him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max and Tanya were surprised to see Stuart coming down their stairs as they walked into their house. 'I've just put Lauren to bed, she fell asleep on the sofa' he told them both. 'She stepped out in front of a bus today, luckily I was there to save her' he explained to them 'she was pretty upset about something and I didn't want to leave her.'

'Did she tell you anything?' Max asked him.

'She talked about a man she met in Hawaii. That he's dead' he said to them 'she insists he was standing on the other side of the road…but I didn't see anyone' he told them 'she says she sees him everywhere' he told them, they could hear the level of concern in his voice.

Max and Tanya exchanged glances 'she hasn't been eating well, not sleeping…her mind is just playing tricks on her that's all' Tanya said brushing off his concerns.

'She's lost a lot of weight' Stuart said to her. 'There's barely anything to her'

'We try to get her to eat, but sometimes she won't' Max said to him.

'Have you been in her room lately?' he asked them. They exchanged glances again and shook their heads.

'No, why?' Max asked him.

'Maybe you should take a look' he said with a sigh 'and then maybe you should think about taking her to see someone, a counsellor or something' he told them. 'I'd better go, I was only supposed to be going out for an hour…I've got to get back and help with the baby' he said 'tell Lauren if she wants to talk all she has to do is call me' he said to them both as he reached for the door.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max and Tanya crept quietly up the stairs and the opened Lauren's room. Their eyes widened in horror with what they saw. Over the walls, floor and every available surface were pictures of Joey.

'Stuart's right' Max whispered as he looked at his daughter in the bed. 'This isn't normal. She needs to see someone' he told his wife.

'She won't agree to it' Tanya shook her head.

'I'll talk to her, persuade her it's the best thing to do' Max said softly as he closed the door behind them and they went back downstairs.

 **AN: Oh no! Lauren almost stepped out in front of a bus. It was a good thing Stuart was in town too to rescue her! She's still seeing Joey everywhere…and insists he was on the other side of the street, even though Stuart didn't see anyone and told her it was just an empty bus stop. At last the two of them have talked some more and cleared the air between them a little bit. It's clear that Stuart cares for Lauren even after she jilted him at the altar. Let's hope Max can talk Lauren into seeking help… Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Three**

The next morning, Max made a coffee and he took it upstairs to Lauren's room. He went inside and discovered she was wide awake, drawing or writing on some paper, he couldn't tell from the doorway. She looked as though she hadn't slept all night. There were pages of paper all over the bed. He walked into the room and touched her shoulder gently as he put the cup down on her bedside table. She looked up at him in surprise. 'I didn't hear you come in' she said softly.

'I thought you might be asleep, I didn't want to wake you' he told her, picking up some papers so he could sit on the bed. He looked at the papers in his hands and each picture was a drawing of a face…the same face. 'I take it this is Joey?' he asked her.

'I can't get it right' she told him shaking her head, she took the paper from him, laying it down on the bed next to her.

'Sweetheart, your mother and I…we're worried about you. Abi and Lucy and Stuart…we're all worried about

'Stuart?' she frowned at him.

'He told us what happened yesterday' he told her softly. Lauren blinked at him.

'It was nothing' she said shaking her head, 'I was just tired and emotional. I've no idea what I said to worry him so much but I'm fine, I promise' she told him firmly and she went back to her pictures.

'You almost got hit by a bus, babe. If Stuart wasn't there I hate to think what your mother and I would be doing today…planning to visit you in the hospital…arranging a funeral…' he trailed off and he looked at her. 'Sweetheart, look at me' he said to her, when she didn't he reached out and took her pencil away from her and covered her hands with his. 'Sweetheart, please?' he said. Lauren slowly raised her head to look at him. 'Stuart told us you said you thought you saw Joey standing over the other side of the road and you just walked out into the road without even looking. You could've been killed'

'But I wasn't' Lauren shook her head.

'No, you weren't. Not this time' he said to her 'you know Joey is dead, you know you couldn't have seen him, right?' he looked at her expectantly.

'But I did see him, daddy…I swear I did' she told him earnestly. She swallowed as she saw the hope fade from his eyes and two tears rolled down her cheeks 'you think I'm crazy' she said looking down 'I know what I saw' she whispered.

'Do you? Maybe you saw someone who looked like Joey' he told her 'maybe because you haven't been sleeping…you're hallucinating'

Lauren looked up at him 'my mind is playing tricks on me?' she asked him and he nodded his head.

'Exactly' he told her. 'Listen, mum has booked an appointment at the doctors. It's in an hour…'

'I don't want to go…I'm not crazy' she said again, shaking her head.

'I know you're not darling, you're just tired that's all. Maybe the doctor can give you something to help you sleep…' he said to her. 'Maybe then you'll feel a bit better hey?' he asked her, reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. Lauren nodded her head and Max put his arm around her. 'Drink your coffee and get ready. Mum and I will be waiting for your downstairs' he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 'We just want you to get better baby' he said softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The trip to the doctor had gone far worse than Max and Tanya expected. Lauren wouldn't talk once she was in the doctor's office so instead Max and Tanya had to fill in the blanks. The doctor could see that her parents were clearly worried about Lauren and that they just expected Lauren to be given some pills to help her sleep, but instead, the doctor wanted Lauren to see a therapist. So they'd come away empty handed after being told the GP would refer Lauren to a therapist and an appointment should come through in the next six weeks. In the meantime, he'd told Lauren she was to try to sleep and eat regularly.

Once they'd left the doctor's office Max had called him a "useless fucking tosser" loud enough so other patients in the waiting room could hear his unhappiness at the doctor not helping his daughter. Max's temper had caused Lauren to cry, so Max got into the back seat of the car with her to try to comfort her, telling her he was going to do whatever it took to make her feel better, whilst Tanya drove them all home. He helped Lauren out of the car and into the house where she went straight up to her room. Max sighed and went into the lounge. 'Well that was a waste of fucking time' he frowned angrily. 'The doctor was as much use as a chocolate fireguard, telling her she needs try to eat and sleep. What the fuck does he think we've been trying to get her to do? Did he think we're weren't trying that?' Max frowned at Tanya. 'I've got a good mind to phone up and complain about that quack.'

'What good would that do?' Tanya frowned at him 'you'd just make Lauren more upset' she told him 'maybe the therapist will have the answers'

'I'm not waiting for the referral to go through. We've got some money I'm going to find a private therapist, one she can see today or tomorrow' Max said, grabbing the yellow pages from the drawer, he sat down at the table and started to look through it.

'What about Lucy? Ian had to see a therapist after his breakdown. I know what Lauren's going through isn't the same thing, but maybe they can recommend someone?' Tanya suggested.

Max nodded his head and he got up 'I'll go and find out their name' he told her and left the house before Tanya could stop him. She sighed and went into the kitchen to make some food for Lauren, to see if she could coax her to eat it.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Two hours later Max and Lauren were on their way to see a therapist. Lauren was crying in the passenger seat telling her dad she didn't want to go but he'd insisted she needed to, even though the sight of his crying daughter had almost made him turn the car around three times, and so they were driving the short distance to the therapist's office. Max only hoped the therapist would be more sympathetic than the doctor was and would actually prescribe something to help Lauren sleep. He was sure once she was able to sleep things would start to get better, at least that was what he was hoping for anyway.

 **AN:- Poor Max and Tanya, the doctor they took Lauren too didn't really seem to do very much other than refer her to a therapist and suggests she eats and sleeps! Let's hope the therapist she's on her way too can help her a little more. There may be another chapter up for grabs tonight if you want it! Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Four**

Over the course of the next couple of months, Lauren met weekly with the therapist. She'd been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was linked to the things she'd seen in Hawaii during the aftermath of the tsunami, as well as her guilt at what she felt was the part she'd played in Joey's death. She was also diagnosed with depression and anxiety. After the initial meeting, her therapist had prescribed her some anti-depressants as well as some sleeping pills, which Max was truly grateful for. All he had to ensure now was that Lauren took them.

Lauren had been sleeping but was still prone to waking up in the early hours of the morning. And she still wasn't eating all that much, but at least she was eating. The weight was still dropping off her. Her once curvy frame was now hidden by baggy clothes, her clothes that were now far too big for her. Max and Tanya were more inclined to let her out on her own again now that she seemed to be more aware of her surroundings than she'd been when she wasn't sleeping. Max had talked her into doing a few odd jobs at the car lot. One of them was taking the money to the bank in town. Which was where she currently stood in a very long queue.

Lauren stared blindly across the room, wishing everyone would hurry up and she could get out of here and go home. The man in the line in front of her turned around suddenly and she was face to face with a ghost…with Joey.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

He was as surprised to see her as she was him. 'Lauren…' he whispered. She looked thinner than she'd been the last time he saw her. Too thin. He saw surprise and then confusion cross her features and then all the colour drained from her face. He watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled to the floor. Her head hitting the concrete with a loud cracking noise.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren woke up, unsure of her surroundings, she slowly opened her eyes to discover a nurse hovering over her. 'Welcome back, Miss Branning' the young woman smiled at her 'you gave everyone a bit of a scare'

'Where am I?' Lauren asked her, sitting up in the bed.

'Walford General' the nurse replied 'Do you remember what happened?'

Lauren thought for a moment 'I…I was in the bank and I saw…I thought I saw someone I knew once…' she frowned.

'You fainted, hit your head on the ground. You have seven stitches and a mild concussion. The doctor wants to keep you in overnight. Is there someone I can call for you? Let them know where you are?'

'No' Lauren shook her head. She closed her eyes and pressed her hands over her eyes.

'Can I get you anything? Something to drink or eat?' the nurse offered. Lauren shook her head. 'Okay. If you need anything just press the buzzer there' she pointed at the long pen shaped object on the bed. 'I'll be back to check on you later' she told her and left the room.

Lauren curled up in the bed as the tears started to fall. She was going mad. She thought she'd seen Joey again and she'd fainted, injuring herself in the process. Her therapist was going to have a field day with this. No doubt he'd have her committed to a loony bin. And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to how her parents were going to take the news. A few minutes later the door opened and closed again. Lauren thought the nurse had returned 'I'm fine, I don't need anything' she said without looking up.

'It's me' a familiar voice said. Lauren froze. Now she was having auditory hallucinations too. She slowly raised her head and looked up at the man standing in the doorway. She screwed her eyes tightly shut and then opened them again, but he was still there. She must have hit her head really hard if she could hear him now too.

'This isn't real. You're not here' she said shaking her head, the movement made it throb and she lay back down against the pillows.

'What are you talking about? Of course I'm real! Of course I'm here, I called the bloody ambulance' he told her softly.

Lauren clamped her hands over her ears and screwed her eyes tightly shut 'you're not real, you're not real, you're not real' she repeated over and over again. Joey frowned, wondering why she was acting like this.

'Lauren' he crossed the room to stand next to the bed and he tentatively reached out a to touch one of her hands. She physically jumped back in the bed with a yelp, moving one of her hands off her ears to steady herself.

'Look at me' he said in a low soothing voice, in the hopes he didn't scare her.

'You think me looking at you is going to make you real? I've been seeing you for months' she replied 'and oh my God I'm actually having a conversation with you. My therapist is going to have me committed…I'll never see the light of day again!'

'You're seeing a therapist?' Joey asked her with a frown. 'Why are you seeing a therapist? Never mind. It's none of my business' he said asking his head 'maybe I shouldn't have stayed, it's just... I was worried about you. You hit the floor pretty hard in the bank…there was blood…' he told her. 'I was just as surprised to see you as you were me, I can assure you…I couldn't just leave without knowing you were okay' he turned and walked to the door, opening it.

'You died...' Lauren told him. 'You're dead' her voice was shaky.

'I didn't die' he shook his head with a frown and he turned to look at her. 'Why would you think I was dead?' he asked her in confusion.

'I came after you…when you didn't call me back…The tsunami. I got on a plane and when I landed… Everything was gone. The hotel, the bar and the hut…. were gone…you were gone…' she told him.

'I was in California' he told her. 'You went to Hawaii?' he looked at her in surprise. Lauren nodded her head as her tears fell 'You came after me?' he asked her and she nodded her head again. 'You thought I died in the tsunami?' he looked at her. Lauren nodded her head once again and buried her face in her hands as she burst into tears.

'Oh my God, Lauren! I'm so sorry… I didn't think…' he trailed off, guilt overwhelmed him and he closed the door and walked back into the room. He took a seat on the bed 'I'm sorry, Lauren…I thought you'd got back with your boyfriend…' he reached out and gently put his hand on her shoulder. She sobbed louder as she felt his touch. 'Hey…it's okay, I'm here. I'm alive' he told her softly. 'Hey…sssh' he whispered softly. 'Look at me…I'm alive'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey felt bad just leaving Lauren in the hospital but he didn't know what else to do. His being there just seemed to be upsetting her more and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt guiltier now that he hadn't bothered to contact her, but when he saw her kissing Marcus he thought the night they'd spent together was just a one-night stand after all. He didn't expect her to follow him to Hawaii. He sat down on the hospital cafeteria with a coffee and he thought back to that day morning….

When he'd woken up that morning, he found her side of bed empty. He got out of bed and looked out of the window and saw her in the gardens with Marcus. At first he could see they were just talking but then it looked as though they were kissing. He'd added two and two together and got what he thought was four but had apparently been five. She said she'd called him, but he'd lost his phone. He didn't realise it was missing until he'd landed in California. He thought he might've left it in the B&B. He thought he'd made a fool of himself with her. He didn't even consider she'd be worried about him when she learnt about the tsunami. He never thought in a million years she would fly to Hawaii to try to find him. He took a sip of his coffee, grimacing as he swallowed the foul tasting liquid and put the cup back down in front of him, pushing it away. He'd thought about Lauren a lot over the past six months. Especially when he returned to Hawaii and saw his home and business had gone. He felt guilty he hadn't gone back there to help with the clean-up. He'd made the decision not to rebuild, he would cut his losses and go back home to London. He knew there was a possibility of getting his old job back with his old stripping buddies. He also knew his father would find him a job in his business, but he would have to be literally near death to take him up on his offer. He never once imagined Lauren would think he was dead. No wonder she'd fainted when she saw him. He needed to talk to her, to explain. He decided he'd come back to see her tomorrow, maybe then she wouldn't be quite so upset to see him, not if she'd had time to process he was alive.

 **AN: At least the therapist Lauren went to see and is still seeing has helped her and diagnosed her with PTSD and depression and given her some medication to take which has improved things for her a little bit. Some of you may be surprised to discover that Joey is still alive and has been the whole time! I bet a lot of you have questions…probably the same questions Lauren has…or will have when she's processed everything…Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-Five**

The next day, Lauren had just finished getting dressed when Joey walked into her hospital room. 'Hey' Joey said casually, 'The nurse tells me you're being discharged?' he looked at Lauren. She nodded her head as she stared at him. As he looked at her he could see how much weight she'd lost, how pale and ill she looked. Had he been the cause of this? 'Is it okay me being here? I wanted to see you…make sure you were okay' he told her softly. She didn't reply and Joey licked his lips and he walked across the room and picked up her bag. 'Where are you staying? I can drive you home? Do you still live on Albert Square?' he asked her.

'I have money for a bus.' Lauren told him quietly. She pulled on her coat that seemed to hide her smaller frame beneath it, giving the illusion she was bigger than she was. Joey wondered if that was the reason she wore it, to hide her appearance.

'Don't be silly, I don't mind' It's the least I can do he thought to himself. 'I thought we could have breakfast first though? Talk a little?' he suggested.

Lauren nodded her head in agreement 'I could use a decent cup of coffee' she answered quietly. Joey thought she could use more than a cup of coffee, in fact she could use more than a couple of home cooked meals, but he didn't voice those thoughts. Lauren followed Joey out of the hospital to his car. He unlocked the passenger seat for her and she got in. A million and one thoughts were flying through Lauren's head. If Joey had a car did that mean he was living in London now? If he was, where in London? Did he have a girlfriend? Did he have a job? Or did he have a job with his dad who he claimed to hate? Joey started the engine once he was seated in the car and turned on the heating after seeing Lauren shiver in her seat.

'We'll have you warmed up in no time' he said with a smile. The conversation dried up as soon as Joey pulled out of the car park and headed into the centre of town. He glanced at Lauren intermittently as he drove and saw she was staring at her hands. The vivacious confident woman he knew in Hawaii and I his subsequent visit to Walford had gone and in her place was a quiet, withdrawn girl. Guilt raised its head again.

Lauren looked up when the car engine stopped. The car was parked in front of a block of flats. Joey got out and walked round to Lauren's side and opened the door for her. 'Where are we?' she asked him.

'My flat' he told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren wasn't really sure she wanted to go into Joey's flat, but since she didn't have a clue where she was, due to not paying attention to where they were going on the way here, so she couldn't leave. She was worried about what she was going to discover about him when they went inside his flat. She had so many questions to ask him, but now she wasn't so sure she wanted all the answers. If he was back in London and he knew Lauren lived in London, he hadn't made contact with her than that meant he didn't want to see her. Their chance meeting at the bank in the West End must have been a big shock for him too, not to mention Lauren fainting when she saw him. She felt awkward and uncomfortable and she just wanted to go home. 'We don't have to do this…talk I mean' she said to him 'I can get a taxi home and we can go on with our lives…we can pretend that we never bumped into each other' she told him softly.

'I want to talk. I think we need to' he said to her 'besides, you wanted coffee and I have coffee'

'So do café's' Lauren replied, looking up at the flats, wondering which floor he lived on.

'Well, we're here now' he replied matter-of-factly and walked to the door and unlocked it, 'I'm on the ground floor' he told her, answering one of her unspoken questions. He opened another door and walked in, turning when he didn't hear her following him. 'You can come in you know' he told her softly. Lauren looked up at him and she stepped into the flat, closing the door behind her. The flat was sparsely decorated. Just like the hut had been in Hawaii. He had minimalistic down to a tee. The walls were plain white. There were no pictures on the walls, no lampshades on the light fittings. The floors were oak panel. In her mind she was decorating it. Soft masculine colours that she knew Joey would love. It would make the flat look more like a home. She could imagine living here with him. A couple of little Joey's running around, getting under her feet. 'The kitchens through here' he told her, Lauren looked up at him, snapping out of her daydream. She walked behind him and he started to make them a coffee. As he waited for the kettle to boil he wondered what had happened in her life to make her change so drastically. He barely recognised the girl that was in his flat now. It must have been something else other than thinking he was dead, right? He took a deep breath as he added milk 'Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I don't have much food in but I can rustle up an omelette?' he asked her.

'No thank you, I'm not hungry' Lauren replied as the kettle boiled. Joey didn't believe that she wasn't hungry but he didn't push it. Joey poured the water into the cups and then picked them up and carried them back into the lounge, placing them on the glass topped coffee table. As Lauren looked at it she thought it was out of place in the room. It wasn't the style that she thought Joey would've chosen for himself, which led her to believe he was living with someone, and they'd only just moved in and hadn't agreed on the paint scheme or the furniture. She sat down on the beige sofa, the only other piece of furniture in the room.

'I was surprised to see you at the bank, although not as surprised as you were to see me, obviously…you fainted…but I expect that was because you thought I was dead' he told her somewhat awkwardly.

'What was I supposed to think?' she frowned at him. 'Everything was gone! The bar, the hut…you. You didn't return my phone calls…and after the tsunami hit I didn't call you again because I thought you were caught in it...I thought that was why you didn't call me back' she told him softly. 'You just left…' she frowned at him.

'You went off with your ex-boyfriend' he shot back, needing some answers of his own.

'He wanted to talk, clear the air between us' she turned to look at him. 'I went out to get us some breakfast' she told him quietly. 'When I got back to the B&B I realised you'd gone'

'Yeah, well I didn't want to have the whole "Dear John" moment face to face' he replied.

'There wasn't going to be a "Dear John" moment' she told him 'why would you think that?' she stood up 'do you think I'm the kind of girl who has random one night stands?' she walked to the window and looked out onto the street 'I thought you knew me better than that. Maybe we really don't know each other at all'

Joey licked his lips and he sighed 'what was I supposed to think?' he asked her 'we slept together and then you went off with your ex-boyfriend'

Lauren sighed. 'There's no point in fighting about it…it doesn't matter now anyway, does it?' Lauren said quietly. So quietly Joey barely heard her.

'What's that supposed to mean?' he frowned.

'Exactly what it sounds like' she replied 'thanks for coffee…but I have to go' she said turning and walking to the door. She struggled with the locks and Joey got up and walked over to her.

'Don't leave' he said 'I don't want you to leave' he told her quickly, putting his hands over hers.

'I thought you were dead, Joey…' she snapped at him 'I was heartbroken…I grieved for you…I wanted to die…anything rather than live without you…I regretted not telling you that I loved you…and all the time you were pissed at me because I was talking to Marcus? Her voice rose an octave as she spoke, her emotions getting to her. 'Even though you knew about the tsunami you didn't even think about calling me to tell me you were okay?' she said turning to look at him 'and now you stand here and tell me you don't want me to leave? Well you know what, Joey? FUCK YOU!' she shouted at him as she finally managed to get the door open. She ran outside leaving Joey standing there, staring after her in surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting that.

 **AN: Joey seems a little bit surprised by Lauren's appearance and doesn't think it is all down to the fact she thought he was dead, I think he was also more than a little surprised at her outburst at the end! Don't forget to leave me a review, back tomorrow.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Six**

Joey grabbed his keys and closed the door as he went after Lauren. He walked to the path and looked both ways and found she'd gone. He frowned and headed towards the first corner and peered round. She was nowhere to be seen, so she must have gone the other way. He ran back down the street and rounded the second corner and he saw her standing at the bus stop. He sprinted over to her and saw her studying the map, trying to figure out where she was. 'Lauren, don't leave' he told her softly. 'We need to talk'

'We needed to talk six months ago, Joey. You needed to call me and tell me you were okay. In fact, if we'd talked before you even decided to leave Walford we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. How could you be so selfish?' she frowned at him.

'I didn't know you thought I was dead' he replied.

'Really? What else was I supposed to think? You live in Hawaii…in the area the tsunami hit…why on earth would I think that you'd got caught up in it? You disappeared off the face of the earth!' she spun round angrily 'How long have you been in London?' she frowned at him.

'A few months' he said with a casual shrug. 'The tsunami destroyed everything I had, there was nothing else left for me there anymore' he told her.

'I've been seeing you everywhere. I thought I was going crazy!' she said to him. Tears rolling down her cheeks. 'But all the time you really were there!' she said to him. 'My parents think I'm crazy, so do all my friends…even my therapist does!'

'I'm sorry' Joey said softly 'Lauren, I really am' he told her, he reached out to pull her into a hug and she moved away from him.

'DON'T! DON'T TOUCH ME!' she screamed at him. Joey jumped, surprised at her reaction, he glanced around the street to see if her screaming had attracted any unwanted attention from his neighbours. Grateful it hadn't he turned his attention back to Lauren.

'Lauren…' he said softly.

'Stay away from me, Joey' she told him angrily. 'I mean it. I never want to see you again!'

'Why don't you let me drive you home, hey'

'I don't need you to drive me home, there's a bus due any minute' she told him, staring up the road, almost willing the bus to turn the corner.

'Why are you seeing a therapist?' he asked her quietly.

'When you see people who are dead, the people who care about you tend to get a bit worried about you and you end up seeing a therapist' she snapped at him. 'Go home, Joey. Go back to your great new life' she said as the bus turned the corner. A few seconds later it pulled up beside her and she climbed on and paid the fare without a backward glance at him. She sat down on the opposite side of the bus so she didn't even have to look at him.

Joey watched helplessly as the bus pulled away. He wondered what she's meant by great new life. What great new life? He lived in a flat he hadn't bothered to decorate or furnish with any more than he needed or wanted. He'd lived a very simplistic life in Hawaii…a life that he missed. But his life in Hawaii wasn't the only thing he'd missed…he missed Lauren.

 **AN: All Lauren has wanted to do since Joey died in the tsunami is talk to him, but now she doesn't even want to look at him. Not that I can blame her, one simple phone call or conversation could have prevented Lauren from going through what she has. Joey is a very selfish man…but then again he thought Lauren was with Marcus again and he's been cheated on before so I can partially understand his reaction but I'm pretty sure Lauren doesn't see it that way! Don't forget to leave me a review…back tomorrow.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

Lauren let herself into her house and ran up the stairs into her room. Lucy had seen her from the café as she ran past and then through the market. She left Marie in charge and headed over to the Branning's house to find out if Lauren was okay. Max had given her a key, asking her to check in on Lauren every now and again during the day, knowing she sometimes wouldn't get out of bed if someone was at the door. She used the key now to let herself in. She shut the door behind her and climbed up the stairs worried about what she was going to find in the bedroom at the top. She knocked lightly on the door before opening it. She was surprised to see Lauren lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

'Hi' Lucy said softly. Lauren didn't answer, either refusing to acknowledge she was there or not knowing she was there. Lucy walked into the room and sat down on the bed. 'Lauren?' she said her friends name softly, when she got no response for the second time, she reached out and touched her hand. 'Lauren?' she said a little firmer and louder. Lauren jumped and her eyes darted to Lucy. She frowned when she saw her.

'What are you doing here?' she asked her.

'I saw you running through the square. You looked upset and I was worried about you. I did knock' she gestured to the bedroom door. Lauren sighed and she closed her eyes. 'What's happened?' she asked her friend.

'He's alive' she said quietly. 'I saw him.'

Lucy sighed 'Lauren, we've talked about this. Joey's dead' she told her 'He died six months ago in the tsunami'

Lauren shook her head 'No. He didn't' she said sitting up 'he's alive. I bumped into him at the bank yesterday. He's been living in London for a couple of months'

Lucy frowned, 'maybe we should call your counsellor?' she suggested softly 'see if we can get you an emergency appointment'

'I don't need to see the counsellor' Lauren snapped at her 'he's been alive all this time and he never called me…' she trailed off 'I thought you of all people would believe me' Lauren said to her. 'I'm not crazy' she told her friend.

'Alright, okay. Say I do believe you' she replied 'And he was in the bank…that doesn't explain where you were last night, your parents were so worried when they called me wondering if I'd seen you' she said 'I told your parents you were over at mine and we watched some horror movies, had a pizza and you fell asleep on the sofa' Lucy told her the cover story 'where were you?'

'Thanks' Lauren said gratefully 'I was in the hospital. I fainted when I saw…him…I hit my head on the floor and he called an ambulance' Lauren told her. 'They kept me in overnight for observation'

'Well, what did Joey have to say about things?' she asked her softly.

'Not much' Lauren shook her head and she lay down again. 'I'm not really interested in what he has to say'

Lucy blinked her in surprise. 'You don't want to talk to him?'

'No. I never want to see him again' she shook her head 'He's dead to me' she closed her eyes 'if' you don't mind, I'm tired, I want to get some sleep'

'Okay' Lucy said nodding her head 'why don't you come and see me when you wake up?'

'Maybe' Lauren replied.

Lucy sighed and she walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, she paused before she left, turning to look up the stairs, wondering if she should leave Lauren alone, but she didn't trust Marie alone in the café for too long…she left the house and headed back towards the café.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Back in her room Lauren sat up and looked around at the walls, at all the pictures of Joey she'd drawn and stuck up. She climbed off the bed and started to rip them off the wall. Once she was done she went downstairs and got a bin bag and returned to her bedroom and began to stuff things into the bin bag. When she was done with that she opened her drawer and found the letters she'd received from Joey and the letters she'd written to him after his "death" and they went into the bin bag too. She grabbed it in her hands and carried it down the stairs, opening the front door, giving a shriek of surprise as she saw someone on the doorstep.

'I'm sorry' Joey said 'I didn't mean to startle you. I was about to knock' he told her. Lauren stared at him 'I couldn't leave things like that' he told her.

'You had no trouble leaving things like that six months ago' she replied with a frown 'why should now be any different?'

'I've already explained that I thought you were with Marcus again' he told her.

'Maybe if you'd answered your phone you would've realised I wasn't' she snapped at him.

'Can I come in?' he asked her.

'No. You can't' she shook her head. 'I have nothing to say to you. Not anymore, in fact everything I had to say to you is in here' she said to him and she dropped the bin bag on the floor at his feet 'Stay away from me, Joey' she snapped at him, turning she went back inside the house, slamming the door in his face. He sighed and stooped down to pick up the bin bag. He turned and sat down on the step and peered inside, reaching in he pulled out a handful of envelopes and looked at them,

" _ **Dear Joey**_

 _ **I feel so lost, so alone. I feel as though part of me died in Hawaii…I don't just mean when I lost you. The things that I saw…the grief…death…devastation…no one can understand how that changes someone. I wish there was someone I could talk to…even the counsellor doesn't understand things. She says I'll get over it. I just have to learn to forget, let it go…live my life. But how can I forget the look in the eyes of a mother grieving over the body of her child? The questions the children had…wondering why their parents hadn't found them yet. Some of the children were too scared to go into the sea in case it swallowed them. They said the sea was a monster…a monster that ate their friends…their parents…they didn't understand why it happened…they were just afraid it would happen again.**_

 _ **I miss you so much…I wish I could've had the chance to talk to you… to explain…I feel so guilty for what happened to you…your death was my fault and that's something I will never be able to forgive myself for. I wish I could tell your parents and your sister how sorry I am…but I can't…I can never make things right…I have to live with this forever…I have to live with the fact that I had a part to play in your death…I wish I knew if you suffered…if you knew what was going to happen…I wish I knew a lot of things…"**_

Joey frowned. He had no idea that she felt responsible for his "death". Until yesterday he had no idea she thought he'd died in the tsunami. He needed to talk to someone who would tell him what had happened over the past six months. The only person he thought of was Lucy. But first he needed to get his phone back. He pushed the letters back into the bag, picked it up and headed towards the B&B.

After a brief visit to the B&B to get his phone, which luckily had been found and saved in lost property, Joey found himself outside the café. He took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping inside.

'Hi, what can I get you?' Lucy asked without looking up.

'Coffee to take out and agree to meet me and talk to me' Joey said. Lucy's eyes snapped up and she looked into Joey's. He saw the surprise on her face.

'She was telling the truth' Lucy whispered, her face paled. 'I thought she was having another episode…'

'Episode?' Joey frowned at her. 'What do you mean by episode?'

 **AN: Well Lauren's sticking to her guns and she doesn't want anything to do with Joey anymore…looks like her grieving is over and she's moved onto hurt and hate! Meanwhile Joey is hanging around wanting to talk…oh dear… I wonder if Lucy is going to talk to him? I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out! Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty Eight**

'It's a long story, Joey' Lucy said with a sigh, she made him a coffee and pushed it towards him, 'Lauren's been through enough. You need to stay away from her, Joey'

'I need to know what's been happening' he told her firmly.

'What? Why now? Don't tell me you suddenly you care?' Lucy asked him 'After six months?'

'Please…?'

'Just go back to wherever you came from, Joey, forget about Lauren. You found that easy to do before'

'I didn't forget about her. I thought she was with someone else…' he trailed off 'Please Lucy…I'll meet you anywhere I just need to know what happened' he told her, he pulled out a pen and grabbed a napkin and wrote his number on it. 'Call me and I'll meet you wherever you want' he said to her, he pulled out some money and placed it on the counter, taking his coffee and he walked out.

Lucy picked up the number and she stared at it before pushing it into her pocket.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey drove back to his flat, letting himself in and emptying the bin bag onto the coffee table. He sorted the letters out into a couple of piles, ones he'd sent her and the ones she'd written to him but hadn't sent. Next he looked at the sketches she'd done. He knew she could draw, but he had no idea she was this good. She'd captured his likeness to perfection. He took his time looking through them all one by one. He was really impressed with her talent but also a little concerned that there were so many pictures of him. He put the pictures to one side and then picked up the pile of letters. She'd put the date she'd written them on the front of the envelope so Joey put them in order and opened the first one.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy headed over to number 5, letting herself in again with the key. Walking upstairs she found Lauren asleep on her bed. Looking at her face it was clear she'd been crying. Lucy crept to the door so she didn't wake her, she heard Lauren murmur in her sleep. She paused in the doorway and waited to see if she spoke again. She did. And this time Lucy heard the name she'd whispered. Lucy reached into her pocket as she closed the door behind her, pulling her phone and the napkin out and dialled the number written there.

'Hello?' the phone was answered after just one ring.

'It's Lucy' she said as she walked down the stairs. 'I'll meet you'

'I can come and pick you up' Joey suggested.

'Just give me your address, I'll come to you' she told him, pausing at the table by the door, grabbing a pen and turning over the napkin. Joey told her the address and she wrote it down. 'I'll be there in an hour' she said, hanging up before he could reply to her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy paid the taxi driver, telling him to come back in 90 minutes and she walked hesitantly up the driveway. She rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened and Joey stood there.

'Hi. Thanks for coming' he said holding the door open wider to let her in. She stepped inside, not waiting for him as she walked into the apartment. She walked towards the sofa, seeing the pictures that had once been in Lauren's room and she frowned.

'How did you get these?' she asked him, spinning round to look at him.

'Lauren gave them to me. I went to see her before I came to see you' he told her

'You went to see Lauren?' she glared at him angrily.

'Yes, of course I did. I was worried about the way she left' he told her 'I needed to make sure she was okay'

'She's not okay, Joey. She's far from okay' Lucy told him angrily.

'I see that' he said with a sigh. 'Can I get you a coffee? I was about to make one?' he offered her.

'No I'm fine' she told him.

'Okay, well, take a seat, I'll be right back' he told her and he disappeared into the kitchen.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

An hour and a half later, Joey stood at the window of the flat watching as Lucy got into the back of a black cab. He hadn't really had all that much contact with Lucy when she was in Hawaii but at least when they did see each other she was pleasant. Unlike today, now Joey had the distinct impression that Lucy hated him. Not that he could blame her after everything she'd told him in the past 90 minutes. He sighed, walking back to the sofa and sinking down into the soft beige leather. He ran his hands over his face and then raked his fingers through his hair, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

He was torn between what to do. He realised now what he thought he'd seen out of the window at the B&B so many months ago was not what actually happened. He owed Lauren an apology…in fact he owed her a lot more than that. He frowned…he was certain that Lucy hadn't told him the full story, that there was still more going on with Lauren than perhaps Lucy even knew but admittedly Joey realised the part he'd played in Lauren's state of mind and in her illness. He sat forward, staring at the pile of letters he had still to read. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to see Lauren, talk to her, but she'd made it clear she wasn't interested in talking to him or even seeing him, not that he blamed her. He daren't risk another visit to her house in case her parents were home, the way Lucy was telling it, Max, which he learnt was Lauren's father's name, was likely to kill him on sight. He sighed, he had to get Lauren to listen to him, to agree to meet him…but how? He glanced at the coffee table again and the letters caught his eye. A slow smile spread across his face. He'd read all her letters to him and he'd reply to them. Maybe that would help... it would be a start at least.

 **AN: Okay so I wonder if Joey's idea is going to work? Let me know what you think! Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Forty-Nine**

Lucy got back to Walford and she stepped out of the black cab just outside her house. She turned and looked over at Lauren's house. Wondering if she should tell her friend she'd spoken to Joey or if that would make things worse for her. She'd think about it over a coffee and then decide what she was going to do. She was pretty certain by the end of their chat Joey had got the message that he wasn't welcome in Walford and he needed to leave Lauren alone. Lucy went inside her house, closing the door behind her, hoping she'd done the right thing.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey wrapped his coat a little tighter around him, it was a cold night and there was already a light frost on the ground. He walked the short distance from his car to number 5 Albert Square and he pushed the envelope through the letterbox. He hoped Lauren would read the letter he'd written to her and then she'd call him. Crossing back to his car he got in and drove back to his flat. He sighed as he looked around, he really didn't feel at home here. He'd not bothered to decorate since he moved in nearly 5 months ago. The only furniture he had was a sofa, a coffee table and a bed. The kitchen had come equipped with a fridge and a cooker so he hadn't needed to worry about that. His mother had tried to get him to decorate the place but Joey resisted all her efforts. He didn't need a lot of "stuff" to be happy. His hut in Hawaii was proof enough of that. He sighed, walking through to the bedroom, stripping off his clothes and sliding into bed. He had to admit though, he was pretty lonely here. At least in Hawaii you got to talk to people every day. Here…Joey barely spoke to anyone. Maybe he needed to get a pet, he thought as he was drifting off to sleep. A dog…no that would require being taken out for walks several times a day. Maybe a cat then….

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

As usual, Lauren couldn't sleep. Turning her head, she looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw it was 3:00am. She flipped back the duvet with a sigh and slid out of bed. She grabbed her robe and pushed her feet into her slippers and after opening and closing her bedroom door as quietly as she could, making her way downstairs. She turned on the light at the bottom of the stairs and was surprised to find a letter on the doormat even though she was certain she'd heard it rattle earlier. She bent down and picked up the letter, turning it over to see it was addressed to her. The handwriting on it was familiar. She frowned as she carried it through to the kitchen. She placed it on the kitchen table, grabbed the kettle and giving it a shake to see if there was enough water in it for a drink. Deciding there was she put the kettle on to boil and grabbed a cup and tea bag from the cupboard and waited. She stared out of the kitchen window, not that she could see anything because it was so dark outside, the street lamp that usually lit up the back garden had been out for months now and the council still hadn't got round to fixing it. The click of the kettle startled her and she turned and poured the boiling water into the cup, placed the kettle back on its stand and then turning to the fridge to get the milk. The letter on the table, caught her eye again and she picked it up and padded quietly through to the lounge.

Putting her drink on the coffee table, she reached beside the sofa and flicked on the lamp that stood beside it as she sat down on the sofa. She opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper contained inside and unfolded it, turning it over to the back so she could see who it was from.

The four lettered name at the bottom of the sheet of paper sent a variety of emotions running through her body. She closed her eyes, remembering how excited she'd get when she received a letter from him in the past. Some of that excitement was still present, a little bit of her wanting to know what he'd written. Her excitement was tinged with sadness though... because she could still remember the way she'd felt when she saw that news report. Longing was also present... a longing to go back in time to those six weeks in Hawaii... when they'd first met each other. She was a different person then... not the person she was now. The last six months had changed all that.

She turned the sheet over, comfort overruling the other feelings, knowing after she'd gone to Hawaii for the second time, one more letter from Joey was all she had wanted to get. He was alive and there was a part of her that was pleased about this... glad he was okay. She closed her eyes, anger piercing through her heart as she remembered how she'd suffered over the last few months, thinking he was dead... and all the time he'd been a few miles down the road in London. He hadn't even thought to contact her. She put down the letter, trying to calm herself again. She was too angry to read it now. The pain that had been so much a part of her life since that day coursing through her once more.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Fifteen minutes later and the letter was still sitting unread on the table in front her... sitting there like a ticking time bomb. She grabbed it, the need to read it pushing everything else aside.

 **AN: It doesn't sound to me as though Joey's taken Lucy's advice about staying away from Lauren, even though I think he should've. I think he may just be making things worse now…I wonder what's written in his letter…back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty**

Max's alarm clock woke him up at 6:00am. He groaned, rolling over to turn it off. He glanced at his sleeping wife beside him before climbing out of bed. He pulled on his robe as he walked down the stairs. He wasn't surprised to see Lauren in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a coffee. 'Morning' he said with a smile, stooping to press a kiss to the top of her head.

'Morning, dad' she replied. 'Kettle's just boiled' she told him.

Max smiled and made himself a coffee and sat down at the table. 'What time did you get up?' he asked her.

'3:00am' Lauren replied as she took a sip of her coffee. Max studied his daughter's face. She was pale and the black circles around her eyes were a dead giveaway to her lack of sleep. He was still worried about her. Tanya was too. The counsellor Lauren had been seeing didn't appear to be making any difference.

'Did you sleep at all?' he asked her.

Lauren shook her head. 'No'

Max sighed, putting his cup on the table 'this has to stop Lauren it's not good for you' he told her sounding a little harsher than he'd meant to.

'I know' she nodded again and looked down at her cup, feeling her eyes fill with tears. 'I can't help it, dad' she whispered. 'I try to sleep but everything just whirls round in my head…'

'This counsellor doesn't seem to be helping you at all ether' he said to her 'maybe we should think about seeing the doctor again. Maybe he can give you something stronger to help you sleep, those pills the counsellor gave you don't seem to be working' Lauren didn't reply. 'Or maybe a trip away will do you good?'

Lauren looked up at him aghast 'what?' she blinked at him 'no' she shook her head 'I don't need to be sent away anywhere. I'm not crazy!' her voice went up a few octaves.

'Hey, I didn't mean that. I don't think you're crazy either' Max got up and moved to sit beside his daughter 'I meant that maybe we should go away abroad somewhere. Just you and me' he told her 'we could go to France or Spain?' he suggested to her. 'Go and look at some art galleries, you'd like that wouldn't you?' he asked her.

'What about mum and Abi?' Lauren blinked at him.

'They'd be okay for a couple of weeks or so without us' he told her softly 'so what do you say? Do you want to go away with your dad?' he asked her.

Lauren looked down into her coffee, 'I don't know' she said softly, 'can I think about it?' she asked looking up at him.

Max nodded 'course you can' he nodded his head 'How about I make you some breakfast, hey?' he asked her.

'I'm not hungry' she replied, wrapping her hands around her cup and getting up 'I'm going upstairs' she told him and she left the room.

Max sighed, he didn't know what else he could do. He hated seeing his daughter like this, suffering so much. He'd broach the subject again later, maybe even get Lucy to help him persuade Lauren to get out of Walford for a while.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren climbed into her bed, pulling the letter from Joey out of her pocket and she straightened it out and began to read it again.

 _ **Dear Lauren.**_

 _ **I've read through the letters you wrote to me and never sent.**_

 _ **Firstly, I want to apologise for not getting in touch with you and telling you I was very much alive. Seeing the way you are now compared to the girl I used to know, and knowing that I'm responsible for that fills me with a tremendous amount of guilt and regret. I honestly thought you and Marcus had made up and what we shared was just a one-night stand. On reflection I realise nothing you did or said indicated we were having a one-night stand. I can only blame my own insecurities for my actions.**_

 _ **I'm so sorry Lauren. I hope you can forgive me.**_

 _ **I've enclosed my address and my phone number in case there is a slight chance you might want to contact me and arrange to meet up. I think we need to talk, don't you?**_

 _ **Anxiously waiting to hear from you.**_

 _ **Love Joey.**_

She put the letter to one side and frowned. She didn't know what to make of his letter. She knew she wasn't going to reply to him, nor was she going to call him even though she had his new mobile number. She couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel and unkind to another human being. If the shoe had been on the other foot and she'd seen Joey with his ex, she would've had the common decency to let him know that she was safe, whether he wanted to know or not. She would've at least given him a chance to explain things to her. But he didn't even give her that chance. His actions were those of a man who didn't really care. So why should she care now? Her decision was made. She left the letter on her bed and walked out of her room and down the stairs. Max looked up as Lauren walked into the room. She hesitated slightly as she saw her mother and sister were now up. She hadn't heard them get up. They both looked up at her in surprise. Lauren turned her attention to her dad. 'Did you mean what you said before?' she asked him.

'Course I did sweetheart' he nodded his head as he buttered some toast.

'I've thought about it and I think it would be good' she nodded her head.

'Yeah?' Max looked surprised, but a smile spread across his face.

'What's this?' Tanya asked him, looking at him for an explanation.

'Yeah' Lauren repeated, giving her dad a rare smile. 'As soon as possible' she added.

'I'll tell you what, why don't you go get your laptop from upstairs and I'll get my credit card and we can decide where we want to go?' he suggested to her.

Lauren's face lit up with a huge smile and she kissed her dad on top of his head and stole the slice of toast he'd just buttered as she rushed out of the room.

'What was that all about?' Tanya asked him.

'Lauren and I are taking a little trip' he told her 'I thought getting her out of Walford might help her a little bit' he told her.

'Max, we can't afford it' Tanya hissed at him.

'Did you see the smile on her face?' he asked her 'did you see she stole my toast?' Tanya nodded 'I'd pay all the money I had to see another smile like that and to see her eat again' he told her. He reached for some more toast and buttered it.

 **AN: Joey's keen to talk to Lauren and for her to forgive him, but Lauren isn't in that frame of mind. Max and Tanya are still worried about her and Lauren has taken up the suggestion of a trip away with just her dad…but something tells me the reason she's going on the trip isn't for the reason Max thinks it is. What do you think? Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty-One**

Lauren was upstairs packing her suitcase. She and her dad had decided on Italy as their destination. It was only for a fortnight but a fortnight would be long enough to get her head around things. She reached for her camera and put it in her handbag. She moved into the bathroom to get her shampoo when she heard someone coming up the stairs. Her mother paused in the doorway, looking at her daughter. 'You're sure this is what you want Lauren?' she asked her. Lauren nodded her head.

'Dad's right. I need to get away from here for a while' she told her mother softly. 'I think it will do me some good and probably you and Abi could do with a break from me too' she turned to look at her.

'Darling, we don't need a break from you' Tanya told her softly. 'Never think that' she licked her lips and sighed 'do you need some help packing?'

'I'm good, just getting my toiletries together' she said softly, 'but thank you for the offer' she carried her things back in to her bedroom, zipping them into her toiletries bag and placing it in her case. She picked up the case and her mother took it from her at the door and carried it down the stairs.

Max was waiting for her. 'Passport?' he asked Lauren. Lauren patted her handbag. 'Good. Well, I think we're ready to go' he looked at Lauren and she nodded and she turned to look at her mother and sister, wondering what to say to them. Before she had a chance to, Abi rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

'I hope this trip helps' Abi breathed into her ear 'I miss my big sister' she told her.

Lauren closed her eyes and squeezed her tightly. As soon as Abi released her she was in her mother's arms. 'You have a good time' her mother said softly 'take care of your dad for me?' she asked her and Lauren nodded her head.

'I will'

'We're only going for a fortnight not a year' Max rolled his eyes. 'Come on Lauren we don't want to miss the flight' he told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

A week into their trip and Lauren was sitting at a table in a small café with her dad. He'd brought her a café latte and he was sipping a regular coffee. They'd been in Italy for a week and Max had hoped she would've confided in him by now. They'd been to several art galleries and had walked around some more scenic parts of Italy and the walls she'd built around herself seemed to be crumbling away a little bit. Even more pleasing to Max was the fact that she was starting to eat too. Not huge meals, but she was eating and being able to keep it down, which was a pleasing sign. He was hoping by the end of this trip that she would've gained a little bit of the weight she'd lost. He glanced up at her and saw she was lost in thought. 'Penny for them?' he said, nudging her knee gently with his foot. She glanced up at him.

'What?' she blinked in confusion.

'You were miles away then' he told her, taking a sip of coffee. 'Anywhere nice?' he teased her.

Lauren sighed and she looked down into her cup. She seemed to be thinking about what she was going to say to him. The next words out of her mouth were not ones he'd been expecting to hear. 'He's alive' she told him.

 **AN: I'm pretty certain that when Max was hoping Lauren would open up to him he wasn't expecting her to tell him that…I wonder what the rest of the conversation will lead to…back tomorrow, leave me a review.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Two**

'Who?' Max asked her, placing his cup down on the table, wanting to give Lauren his full attention.

'Joey' she replied. 'He's alive. Turns out he didn't die in the tsunami after all'

Max frowned and slid his foot off his knee and sat forward. 'How do you know?'

'I saw him' Lauren said to him, raising her eyes to his. Max sighed, thinking she was having another one of her episodes.

'Lauren, sweetheart…you remember what your counsellor said to you. The mind can make you see things that aren't really there' he reminded her gently.

'No dad. I bumped into him, literally…I fainted and hit my head and he called an ambulance and came to the hospital with me' she explained to him.

'You haven't been in hospital' Max shook his head sadly. Lauren seemed to be getting worse not better like he'd hoped.

Lauren sighed 'remember the night you called Lucy and she said I was staying at hers?' she asked him and he nodded his head 'Well I wasn't at Lucy's I was in the hospital. I didn't call you because I didn't want you to worry and fuss over me. The doctors kept me in overnight and Joey came back to see me in the morning' Lauren said to him. 'He didn't die, dad. He just…saw me and Marcus together in the square and he left'

'What do you mean he left?' Max frowned.

'He went to California or something…he wasn't even in Hawaii when the tsunami hit. He didn't even think to call me or write to me to let me know he was okay because he thought I was with Marcus'

Max frowned at her 'wait a minute, let me get this straight…' he said. 'For the past six months this boy has been alive and well and you…you've been mourning his death?'

'In a nutshell' Lauren nodded her head 'but it wasn't just him dying though dad…it was what I saw in Hawaii too' she told him and she looked down. 'But I did blame myself for Joey dying' she told him. 'And he's apologised so…'

'Is that all?' Max snapped angrily 'That's very big of him…He needs to do more than bloody apologise'

'Dad…' Lauren shook her head. 'I don't want to hear what he has to say. I feel pretty stupid that all this time I thought I was going crazy because I was seeing him everywhere…'

'When you really were seeing him everywhere because he's bloody well alive' Max finished for her 'you wait until I get my hands on him. He's going to wish he was dead…'

'That's not going to help dad' Lauren told him softly.

'Does he know what he's put you through? Does he know you went to Hawaii looking for him? Does he know the state you're in now?' he asked her.

'Yes' she nodded her head 'and he's sorry'

'He's going to be so much more than sorry' Max frowned. Lauren sighed and looked down at her coffee. He looked up at her and his gaze softened. 'I'm sorry sweetheart. I just…I've watched you withdraw into yourself over the past six months, you lost your job, you've lost far too much weight and you're not sleeping or eating properly. You're a shadow of the girl you used to be and I'm just worried about you. You're my little girl and I feel helpless to stop you suffering' he explained to her. 'Punching this Joey bloke in the face three or four times would go some ways to making me feel a little bit better' Lauren looked up at him in surprise, a faint smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile back at her and then he frowned again. 'Has he tried to contact you since the hospital?' he asked her.

'He put a letter through the door. Gave me his address and phone number' she told him.

'When?' he frowned.

'The night before you suggested we come away' she replied. 'I read the letter and he was saying how sorry he was and how guilty he feels…that we needed to talk' she told him.

'Do you want to see him?' he asked her.

Lauren considered this for a moment and then shook her head 'no' she said firmly 'I don't'

Max nodded his head 'then you don't. And if he starts hassling you then me and Uncle Jack will go pay him a visit' he told her 'make sure he gets the message'

'Thanks, dad' she smiled at him.

Max looked at her as she picked up her coffee. She raised the cup to her lips and then stopped, her eyes widened slightly and he turned to look over his shoulder at what she'd seen. It was nothing unusual. A small boy of about four or five had lost his flip flop as he was walking along. He turned back to look at Lauren and could see she was lost in her thoughts again. He wondered what she'd seen and experienced in Hawaii that he would sometimes see such a haunted look on her face. Oh yes, this Joey bloke certainly had a lot to answer for. And Max was going to make sure he faced up to what he'd done to his daughter.

 **AN: Max is not happy with Joey! I think if they ever meet he's probably going to punch him in the face several times! At least Lauren has opened up to her dad, although I don't think that was what he was expecting to hear, especially after seeing the haunted look on her face after a little boy lost his flip flop. Poor Lauren, she's been through so much and all of it didn't have to happen if Joey had done the decent thing and told her he was safe! Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty-Three**

Over the next couple of days, Max tried to get Lauren to open up about the time she'd spent in Hawaii after the tsunami but she would just clam up whenever he broached the subject. He knew from conversations with Lucy that Lauren hadn't confided in her about it either. He wondered briefly if she'd spoken to the counsellor about it and he'd contemplated on more than one occasion to ask the counsellor but he knew the counsellor wouldn't divulge that information to him and Lauren certainly wasn't going to. No matter how hard he tried to get her to open up to him. She was a stubborn girl. Always had been. His mum used to tell him that Lauren had a stubborn streak running right through the centre of her. That was one of Lauren's flaws. Not that she had many. His mum once said that Lauren would cut her nose off to spite her face, Max hadn't exactly been sure what she'd meant by that comment but now he was beginning to understand.

He put his arm around Lauren's shoulders as they walked and she leant against him. 'So, we're going home in a few days' he said to her. 'Have you got any plans?' he asked her.

'No, not really' she replied with a sigh. 'I'm so tired all the time, I have no energy to do anything'

'Is seeing the counsellor helping you?' he asked her.

'Not really' Lauren shook her head 'she goes through the same things at every session, it's like she wants me to say something specific to her but I don't know what it is…' she frowned. The two of them stopped walking and sat down on a low wall 'when I started seeing her I thought I was going crazy because I was seeing him everywhere and he was dead…I thought I was seeing a ghost or something…or seeing him because I wanted to see him so badly' she glanced at her dad 'does that make sense?' Max nodded his head in understanding and Lauren licked her lips 'I wanted to see him so badly…to say that I was sorry that he died…to appease my guilt maybe, I don't know'

'Guilt?' Max frowned at her 'what did you have to feel guilty about?'

'Because I thought it was my fault that he died. If I hadn't stopped to talk to Marcus had gone straight back to the B&B he wouldn't have left' she told him 'But all that doesn't matter now though does it because he was alive the whole time'

'And how does that make you feel?' Max asked her.

'Angry' Lauren told him.

'With Joey?' he asked her.

'Him, me…' she shrugged.

'Why you?' Max asked her 'you haven't done anything wrong' Lauren turned to look at him, a strange expression on her face.

'You know you sound just like my counsellor' Lauren told him 'trying to get me to answer questions I don't know the answers to.' she whispered.

'I think you do know the answers' Max said to her softly. 'And I think you need to talk about things…you know, you used to tell me everything when you were little' he said to her with a smile 'when you'd done something naughty…when you were worried about something, when you were upset' he told her 'you talked to me about Joey when I caught you on the phone to him' he looked at her

'Yeah, well I don't want to talk about him now' she snapped at him with an angry frown and got up, walking a little distance away from her dad. Max left her be, letting her have the space she needed. It was only five minutes later when she returned to him, sitting down beside him again. 'I'm sorry' she said softly.

'It's okay, sweetheart' he replied with a smile.

Lauren seemed to think about what she was going to say and she sighed 'I know I've caused you, mum and Abi so much grief over the past year and I'm sorry…I never mean to fuck things up…'

'You haven't fucked anything up' Max told her, putting his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. 'Your mum and I just want you to be happy, that's all any parent wants for their children. We know you weren't happy with Stuart and yes, okay it took your mum a little while to understand that, but she did in the end. We love having you back at home, we love taking care of you. You're our little girl and we both love you very much' he told her, turning and pressing his lips against the side of her head. 'I know you've been through so much in the past year, too much for someone your age' he said with a soft sigh 'we just want you to get better, and we will do whatever it takes to help you get better. Your mum and I never once thought you were crazy. You thought Joey had died and you missed him. You regretted the way things ended, that you weren't able to explain what he thought he saw. You thought he'd died hating you or being angry with you. You thought he might have suffered or been scared. The grief you felt was real Lauren, you were grieving and losing him hit you hard and do you know why?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head, biting her bottom lip. 'Because you loved him' he said softly 'and I think, deep down inside, you still love him'

'I'm angry with him' she insisted shaking her head.

'You can be angry with someone and still love them' Max said 'You know Joey isn't my favourite person right now, but I think you might find you feel better once you talk to him. Let him explain, you can yell at him, slap him, do whatever you need to do to make yourself feel better and then I think you'll find you'll have the closure you've wanted for the past 6 months and you'll be able to start to put him behind you… if that's what you want to do….' He trailed off. Lauren sighed, resting her head on her dad's shoulder, knowing he was right.

'I guess' she said softly 'will you come with me?'

Max smiled, shaking his head 'I think this is something you and Joey need to talk about in private' he told her softly 'besides I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself from punching him in the face' he replied. 'Come on, let's get back to the hotel, it's getting chilly' he said and the two of them got up and headed towards their hotel. Lauren went up to her room and she curled up on the bed thinking about what her dad had said to her. She didn't know if she was going to see Joey…she wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to him. She didn't need to make a decision today she could think about it until they got home.

 **AN: Max seems to have talked a little bit of sense, may be all Lauren does need to do it so let Joey explain, yell at him, hit him and maybe then she will be able to move on with her life and put Joey behind her. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-four**

Lauren unpacked her bags, carrying her dirty clothes to the bathroom and then putting all her toiletries back in their places. When she returned to her room she put her suitcase back on top of her wardrobe. Turning back to the bed, she picked up the pile of post her mother had given to her and she looked through them. She had vouchers from some clubs as well as junk mail offering her a credit card. The rest of the letters were from Joey. There were fourteen to be exact one for every day she'd been away. She crossed the room to her desk and pulled out her note pad and envelopes and sat down at the desk and started to write.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren made her way down the stairs, pushing the envelope into her coat pocket as she went. She grabbed her keys off the side table by the door and headed out. She put the letter into the letterbox before disappearing into the café. 'Hey' she said with a faint smile as she walked to the counter. Lucy turned to look at her and she smiled at her friend.

'Hello you. Italy seems to have agreed with you, you've caught the sun'

'Yeah, a little' she nodded her head and she pushed a small box across the counter to Lucy. 'I got this for you, to say thank you for being my best friend' she told her a little shyly.

Lucy picked up the box and took the lid off and peered inside. Nestled on white silk were a pair of silver unicorn shaped earrings. Lucy grinned. 'Lauren, they're gorgeous, thank you' she came round the other side of the counter and hugged her friend 'but you know you didn't have to buy me a present'

'I wanted to' Lauren said to her softly. 'You've been there for me throughout everything and I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you being around for me…' Lauren told her.

'That's what best friends do' Lucy said to her with a smile 'I know I have my "bitch from hell" moments…'

'We both do' Lauren said with a smile. 'Listen, are you doing anything tonight?' she asked her.

'Nope why?' Lucy shook her head.

'Come over to mine, for 6:00pm?' Lauren asked her 'I'm cooking dinner for my family as sort of an apology for being a total basket case and being a burden and I'd like you to come too'

Lucy smiled and nodded her head 'I'd love to. I'll see you at 6:00pm' she told her. Lauren smiled at her and walked out of the café.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The next day Joey slept in late, only waking when he heard the letterbox rattle as the postman delivered his mail. He climbed out of bed, running his fingers through his hair as he headed through the flat to the front door. He stooped down, picking up the assortment of mail and then walked through to the kitchen, setting his coffee machine going. He flicked through the letters. Most of them were junk mail, there were a couple of bills, but one letter caught his eye. He recognised her handwriting immediately and the envelope felt thick. He grinned to himself, obviously his perseverance had finally paid off. He ripped open the envelope feeling excited and anxious at the same time. The grin faded from his face when he pulled out fourteen unopened envelopes. Wrapped around them was a sheet of A4 paper. Peeling it away he read it. She'd written just four words.

" _ **Stop writing to me"**_

She hadn't even written her name on the paper. Just those four words. He sighed. He'd hoped she would read his letters to her. He'd already started writing the next one last night after he returned from delivering the fourteenth letter. Now there seemed to be little point in finishing it. He frowned, he was going to have to think of another way to get her attention and get her to talk to him. He poured himself a coffee, leaving the letters on the counter and headed back to bed.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The next day when Lauren returned home after spending the day with Lucy and Whitney she found some flowers on the kitchen table. The flowers were a mix of red and pink roses with a few white ones thrown in for good measure. Lauren smiled, her dad really was a romantic man when he wanted to be. Lauren couldn't remember the last time someone brought her flowers. Marcus never brought her flowers, Stuart did once, for Valentine's Day the first year they were together, but not after that. Being nosy, she reached for the card and pulled it out of the envelope, curious to see what romantic note her dad had written for her mum.

"Please talk to me Lauren. Joey x" was all it said. The flowers were for her! From Joey! She thought returning his letters unopened would've made it clear to him that she didn't want to talk to him. She wanted nothing to do with him, but no, now he was saying it with flowers. She frowned and picked them up heading into the kitchen to dump them in the bin. Tanya was there working on dinner. She heard the lid of the bin flip as Lauren stood on the pedal and she turned and snatched the flowers out of her hand

'Oh no you don't!' she said to her, snatching the flowers from her hands.

'I don't want them, they're from him' she said with a frown, letting the pedal go, the lid clattered down noisily.

'These flowers cost a lot of money and I'm not going to let you put them in the bin because you don't want them. Look at them, they're gorgeous' she told her, holding them to her nose and inhaling softly 'and they smell beautiful'

'Fine, then you have them' Lauren said, ripping the card that came with them to shreds and dropping that into the bin instead. She stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Tanya shaking her head in dismay. Sometimes she didn't understand Lauren at all. She'd been so miserable when she thought Joey had died and now he was alive, she acted like she hated him and insisted she never wanted to see him again. If she were Lauren and the boy she claimed to love was miraculously back from the dead, Tanya knew she'd want to see him. She smiled as she looked at the flowers when she carried them through to the lounge, placing them back in the centre of the dining table.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story. Whilst Lauren has been away, Joey wrote her a letter every day and she returned them all. You would think that Joey would realise whatever he and Lauren had no longer exists and he would stop bothering her…but no. Now he's saying it with flowers! I have to give Joey an A for persistence! Back tomorrow Don't forget to leave me a review**


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter Fifty-Five**

Over the next two weeks, a new delivery of flowers arrived for Lauren every single day and still she refused to contact Joey. Max got up off the chair on Saturday morning when he heard the doorbell, when he returned to the lounge he was holding yet another arrangement of flowers, this time though there were five balloons with the word "sorry" written on them and a little pink and white teddy bear holding onto the strings. 'Seriously, Lauren. This has to stop. The house is starting to look more like a flower shop than a home. You need to talk to him because it doesn't look as though he's going to give up sending you flowers until you do' he said looking around for a place to put the new display. He gave up with a sigh, dumping them onto Lauren's lap.

'What…I don't want them' she frowned up at him.

'Neither do I!' Max exclaimed 'sort this out Lauren, or I bloody well will' he told her as he marched to the front door. She cringed as she heard the front door slam shut, pictures and windows rattled at the force of it. Lauren sighed and she picked up the flowers and took them into the kitchen, placing them on the table. She pulled the card out of the envelope and read it.

" **All I want to do is talk to you. Please call me. My number is 07781 255591"** she read.

She closed her eyes and she pulled out her phone and dialled the number. It was answered after just 2 rings. 'Hello?' Joey's voice filled her ears.

'Stop sending me flowers' Lauren told him angrily. 'I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to see you' she snapped at him.

'Lauren, please…don't be this way. I'm really sorry about what happened' he told her. 'I want to talk, I want to listen…'

Lauren closed her eyes 'you let me believe you were dead' she said to him 'what kind of person does that?' she asked him. 'I thought I knew you, Joey. But it turns out I didn't really know you at all' she said 'stop sending me flowers, stop writing to me. Just leave me alone' she told him and she hung up the phone.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey sighed, pushing his phone back into his pocket. He didn't know what else he could do. He'd sent her letters she didn't read, he sent her flowers until she told him to stop. What else could he do? How could he make her talk to him, listen to him? He was at a loss. Maybe he should just give up. He shut the car door and walked towards his flat and unlocked the door. He walked into the lounge and flopped down onto the sofa.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren looked around the house and decided she needed a change of scene. She ran up the stairs and grabbed her bag and pulled a pair of shoes onto her feet and then ran back down the stairs, grabbing her jacket and keys as she flew out of the house. She ran to the tube station almost barrelling into Dot Cotton on her way and she got onto the first tube leaving Walford, with no clue where she was heading.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Tanya let herself into the house at lunchtime. She'd been nursing a headache all morning and had cancelled the rest of her appointments for the day and she'd gone home for a bit of peace and quiet. She made herself a coffee and a sandwich after taking a couple of painkillers. She saw the new addition of flowers on the kitchen table and she smiled to herself. Joey must really be keen on her daughter if he was willing to go to this much trouble and spend this much money on her. She wondered if Lauren had talked to him yet. She carried her lunch into the lounge and sat down on the sofa with a sigh. She had the house to herself, no husband, no kids, no annoying customers. She was just about to bite into her sandwich when she heard a familiar ringtone. Glancing at the coffee table she saw Lauren's phone sitting there. She put her sandwich back on the plate and put the plate beside her on the sofa. She reached forward, picking up the phone. It was a number she didn't recognise. Tanya pressed the green call answer button.

'Hello?'

'Lauren?' a male voice asked.

'No, this is her mum, Tanya. Lauren's out and appears to have left her phone here. Can I take a message?' she asked.

The man on the other end of the phone sighed. 'I'm not sure leaving a message asking her to call me back would work. She sent back all the letters I wrote…the messages on the flowers didn't seem to work either'

'Is this Joey?' Tanya asked, her curiosity now piqued.

'Yes, it is' Joey replied. 'I'm really sorry Mrs Branning…I shouldn't have called…'

'Don't hang up' Tanya said 'and Mrs Branning makes me feel old. It's Tanya please' she said to him 'Look, I know my daughter can be a very stubborn young woman' she told him softly 'I know she cares a great deal about you…right now she's just hurt' she explained to him 'She's been through a lot. She grieved for you, Joey. She thought you were dead'

'I know' Joey said 'I didn't know she'd think that. I didn't know she'd go to Hawaii to look for me' he said 'I thought she was getting back with Marcus' Joey explained to her 'I never meant to hurt her… I just…'

'You were hurt too' Tanya said to him 'because of what you thought you saw?' she asked him.

'I guess' Joey sighed, 'I don't have a great track record of women being faithful to me' he replied. 'I have trust issues'

'Doesn't everyone?' Tanya replied softly. 'Listen Joey, I know you want to make amends with my daughter and I know she's being stubborn and is adamant she wants nothing to do with you, but deep down I know she's just lying to herself' Tanya said 'Her father took her away for a couple of weeks and finally got her to talk to him. Not about what she saw in Hawaii…she won't talk to anyone about that, I don't even think she's told her therapist…not all of it anyway. She hadn't even told Lucy and Lucy was there for herself…not when Lauren first got there…so she didn't see the same things Lauren did but she saw the devastation left behind…' Tanya licked her lips 'I want to help you, Joey'

'Why? You don't even know me' he said, the surprise evident in his voice.

'Because I know my daughter' she replied 'She's not happy. And I think the key to her happiness is you' she told him. 'Whether Lauren realises that or not'

'Thank you' Joey said, amazed that her mother would do this for a virtual stranger.

'I'll think about what I can do to help, maybe arrange a chance meeting or something, totally coincidental of course' she said to him.

'I would appreciate anything you could do' Joey told her softly. 'I just want to make things right between us'

'Leave it with me' Tanya said to him 'oh and Joey? The flowers are beautiful by the way' Tanya said with a smile 'they really brighten up the house'

'I'm glad someone is appreciating them' he replied. 'Even if it's not the right someone…' he trailed off sadly.

'We'll talk soon' Tanya said softly

'Thanks again' Joey said and he ended the call.

Tanya smiled to herself. Max would hit the roof if he found out she was interfering in Lauren's love life, but she had to do something. She couldn't just sit back and watch her daughter be miserable. She sent Joey's number to her own mobile phone and then deleted the call and text message and put the phone back down on the table. Lauren would be none the wiser Joey had called nor that her mother had spoken to Joey.

 **AN: I'm not sure Tanya getting involved is going to turn out well…I guess we'll have to and see what happens. Max is fed up of all the flowers being delivered…he's probably added that to the list of things to yell at Joey about if he ever gets to meet him! Don't forget to leave me a review. Back tomorrow.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty-six**

Later that night after dinner, Lauren was helping her mother in the kitchen. 'I was thinking about taking the day off work tomorrow' Tanya said 'do you fancy a mother sponsored shopping trip?' she asked Lauren.

'I'm fine mum, I don't need anything' Lauren replied shaking her head, she'd been relying on her parents for money for too long now, even to buy her tampons and other things she needed, she didn't want to take any more money from them 'maybe you could take Abi at the weekend instead? I know there's a new pair of boots she'd had her eye on for a while' Lauren told her.

'If I wanted to take Abi I would've asked her' Tanya said softly 'we haven't really spent that much time together lately, what with you staying in your room and being sad and then going away with your dad for a holiday. Your mum is feeling a bit left out and unloved' she said to Lauren, sneaking a peek at her from the corner of her eye 'but if you don't want to spend time with me, I guess…I guess I'll just go shopping by myself…' she trailed off. Lauren rolled her eyes, her mum was still pretty good at working the guilt trips on her.

'Okay, fine' Lauren said 'I'd love to spend some time with you. But you don't need to spend any money on me' she told her firmly.

'We'll see' Tanya said with a smile. 'I was thinking we could go up the West End? Try that new café on Broad Street?' she asked Lauren

'Sounds good' Lauren nodded her head. She licked her lips and sighed 'I think I'm going to go to bed' she said to her.

'Okay honey' Tanya said to her with a smile 'we'll leave at 11:00am, have lunch about 1:00pm'

'Okay' Lauren said as she left the room. Tanya heard her daughter go up the stairs and then her bedroom door shut, she walked to the lounge and peered inside and saw Max sleeping in the chair. Tanya shut the door and pulled out her phone.

'Hello?'

'It's me' she said '1:00pm at the Rock Cake café on Broad Street in the West End' she said.

'I'll be there'

'Good. The rest is down to you' she said 'we'll see you tomorrow' she told him.

'Thank you again'

'Don't thank me yet, this could blow up in both our faces' she replied. 'Bye' she said and she hung up.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The next morning, Lauren got up, showered and dressed and made her way downstairs. She made breakfast for the family and then sat at the table nursing a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. Abi was the first down and she smiled at Lauren as she pushed a cup of orange over to her. 'What's all this in aid of?' Abi asked her as she took a seat and reached for some toast and bacon.

'An apology' she said to her 'I know things haven't been great around here for a while. Mum and dad have been spending a lot of time worrying about me and there hasn't been a lot of time left for you' Lauren said to her softly 'and I'm sorry about that. I bet you wished I never moved back in, hey' she said with a small chuckle.

'I have to admit I was kind of pissed off that you moved back in, even more so into my room' Abi admitted 'and I was annoyed that you got the big room and I got stuck in the poky little box room, but now…I love it. I love having my own space, my own room that I can do whatever I like in' she said with a smile and then she looked at her sister 'and I've been worried about you too' Abi said to her 'and I love having you back here. For one thing there's someone else to answer that bloody door!' she said with a laugh.

'You know, I think that could be the only reason mum and dad had us' Lauren said half seriously 'to answer the door'

Abi smiled and took a sip of orange juice. 'Do the pills help?' she asked her.

Lauren looked up at her in surprise, she didn't think Abi knew about the pills she was taking. 'No, not really' Lauren shook her head. 'They just make me feel…numb mostly' she said to her. 'Like every emotion I could have has been wiped away…I don't feel happy or sad…I feel anger…a lot…somewhat more so than normal but other than that nothing.'

'Nothing?' Abi repeated with a frown.

'No' Lauren shook her head 'nothing'

'Maybe you should stop taking them?' Abi said to her 'I mean that can't be right, the way they make you feel' she said to her. 'I'd rather feel pain than feel nothing at all, at least then I'd know I'm alive' Abi said to her. Lauren looked at her and she nodded her head.

'You're right Abs' she said as she pushed back her chair and walked to the cupboard above the sink, reaching inside and pulling out her bottle of pills. She twisted the lid off and tipped the contents into the sink, running the water to get rid of them.

'Lauren! What are you doing?' Abi exclaimed surprised.

'Taking your advice' Lauren said with a smile. 'Thanks Abi'

'Mum is going to freak out when she realises what you've done' Abi told her.

'Yeah well, it's my life ain't it?' she asked her sister and she grabbed her coffee and walked into the lounge and sat down, flicking the TV on.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren sat down at the table in the café whilst her mother went to the bathroom. So far she'd managed to dissuade her mother from buying her anything, but she wasn't sure how long she could do so. Her mother seemed determined to purchase something for her despite Lauren's insistence she didn't need anything. Lauren pulled the menu out of the holder and started to look at it. To be truthful she wasn't really hungry, she hadn't been hungry for some time and was only really going through the motions of eating to please her parents. She knew she'd lost weight. A lot of weight, her clothes were baggy now, but she didn't care. Her mother wanted to buy her a new wardrobe, but Lauren didn't want new clothes that fit her, that showed off her thinner frame, she liked her old clothes. She wondered if her mother would let her just order a coffee and no food. She sighed deciding that was highly doubtful. Nothing on the menu caught her fancy. Giving up she put the menu down and stared out of the window. She didn't have the heart to tell her mother this was one of the first places she saw Joey…back when she thought he was dead. She knew her mother wouldn't have brought her here if she knew. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand as she watched people walk by. A young couple walked past, their hands clasped together. There was a time when Lauren would've felt jealous, but not now, not today. She knew part of the reason she didn't feel jealous was because of the pills she was taking, the pills she'd washed down the sink this morning.

The rattling of a cup being placed on the table in front of her pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up, a smile plastered on her face, expecting to see her mother looking at her. She was surprised by whose face she saw.

'Hi' Joey said. The smile disappeared from Lauren's face.

 **AN: Uh-oh. Looks like Joey and Tanya have been conspiring! I wonder what's going to happen next! Don't forget to leave me a review. Back tomorrow.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter Fifty-seven**

'What are you doing here?' Lauren blinked at him, sitting up straight in her chair.

'The same thing as you. Having a coffee and a bite to eat' he said to her softly. 'Do you mind if I sit here?' he asked her.

'Actually, yes I do. I'm here with my mum' she replied 'so you can take your coffee and go and sit somewhere else. In fact, there are other cafes in London you could go to. So you should go to one of them' she replied and she picked up the menu and pretended to study it.

'I heard this place was new so I thought I'd check it out' he said to her, pulling out the chair and sitting down. 'How've you been?' he asked her. Lauren took a deep breath and pretended she didn't hear him. 'So what's good here?' he said picking up another menu and looking at it. Lauren glanced at her watch and then towards the bathroom, wondering where her mother could be. She took a deep breath and put her menu down and slid off the stool.

'Your mother's gone.' Joey told her.

'What?' Lauren frowned at him 'how do you know that?' she asked.

Joey took a breath and he let it out slowly. 'She left this for you' he said and he pulled out a note from his pocket and put it down on the table and slid it towards her. Lauren picked it up and she unfolded it.

" _ **Sweetheart, please don't be angry with me. I answered your mobile and it was Joey. I know you're angry with him for hurting you, but he's hurting too and two wrongs don't make a right. You two need to talk. I love you. Mum xx**_

 _ **PS. This was all my idea not Joey's."**_

Lauren frowned and screwed the note up and put it into her pocket. 'Can I get you a coffee?' he asked her, Lauren shook her head.

'I'm not staying' Lauren said and she got up, reaching for her handbag, she had her oyster card in her purse and she could make her own way home, she realised her bag wasn't there and remembered her mum had told her to leave it at home and she'd put Lauren's oyster card in her purse. So Lauren was stranded with no way of getting home, unless she walked. She frowned and sat down again.

'How about that coffee?' Joey asked her again. Lauren looked up at him and reluctantly nodded her head. Joey got up and walked to the counter and brought a coffee for her, he brought it back to the table and sat down.

'Thanks' she said quietly, reaching for the sugar the same time he did. Their fingers touched and she pulled her hand away quickly, folding them in her lap and she looked down.

'I'm sorry about this…it was your mother's idea. I probably should've refused to go along with it but I wanted to see you. To talk to you. You returned all my letters, you didn't call me back…' he said 'I didn't know what else to do'

'Yeah, well, now you know what it feels like' she shot back 'you should've taken the hint that I didn't want to talk to you or see you' she said to him.

'I read all your letters' he said to her and she looked up at him in surprise. 'I wrote you letters back telling you how I was feeling what I was thinking when I left' he said to her. 'You know you didn't really give me a chance to say much when I saw you last time' he told her.

'What did you expect me to do?' Lauren asked him with a frown 'I'm seeing a therapist and I'm taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills because of you' she said 'well…I'm not taking them anymore, I washed them down the sink this morning'

'Should you do that?' he asked her 'shouldn't you talk to your doctor first? I mean, don't they have to slowly wean you off them, right?' he asked her in concern.

'I don't care if they do. I'm sick off taking them and not feeling anything' she snapped at him 'not that it's any of your business.'

'Okay then…' Joey sighed picking up his cup and taking a drink. 'How have you been?'

'Fucking fantastic. You?' Lauren replied sarcastically.

'I'm sorry, Lauren. I feel somewhat responsible for this' he gestured towards her.

'This?' she frowned at him. 'You mean me?'

'You're so thin, you look tired and pale' he said softly.

'How I look is of no concern of yours' she told him as she pushed back her chair and got up, pulling her coat on as she walked out of the café. Joey closed his eyes with a sigh and got up and followed her outside.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Lauren, wait will you?' Joey called after her seeing her sprinting down the road. He chased after her, catching her up easily and grabbed her arm, spinning her round to look at him. He wasn't expecting the slap across the face from her free hand. His eyes watered from the sting of her slap and he turned to look at her. 'Feel better now?' he asked her. She watched the hand print appear on his face and gave him a smug smile.

'As a matter of fact I do' she told him.

'Good. Now that you've got that off your chest you and I are going to go back to my flat to talk and when we're done I will take you home' he told her.

'Oh, I don't think so' Lauren said shaking her head 'I'm not going anywhere with you' she told him firmly.

'Want to bet on that?' he said marching her to a car and opening the back passenger door and bundling her inside. He slammed the car door shut and walked round to the driver's door and got in, smirking when he saw Lauren trying to get out in the rear view mirror. 'I've activated the child locks on the doors' he told her 'now be a good girl and put your seat belt on' he told her.

Lauren glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest as he started the engine.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The car journey back to Joey's flat was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Joey could practically feel the anger rolling off Lauren in waves, this was a side to Lauren he'd never seen before. Sure she'd been angry with him before but nothing like this. He took a deep breath and glanced at her in the rear view mirror. She was staring stony-faced out of the window. He swallowed, suddenly he wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

 **AN: Thanks you for all your reviews. Don't forget to leave me a review for this chapter. Back tomorrow.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter Fifty-Eight**

Joey pulled up at the flat and parked the car. He climbed out and walked round to the back passenger door and opened it. Lauren turned her head away from him and folded her arms over her chest, it was clear she had no intention of getting out of the car or making this easy for Joey. He sighed and reached into the car and pulled her out with ease. He stood her on her feet, turning back to close the door, she chose this moment to make a run for it. Joey turned back to see her sprinting down the drive. He gave chase and easily caught up with her in a few strides and grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. Lauren shrieked in protest and she hit Joey's back with her fists. She kicked her legs around and Joey slapped her hard on the rear, making Joey's hand sting and causing her to gasp in pain and surprise.

'Quit wriggling around or I'll drop you on your head' he warned her. She stilled and he unlocked the door to the flat, carrying her inside. Joey pushed the door shut behind him, carried her over to the sofa and dropped her unceremoniously onto it, face first. She hurriedly righted herself and sat down, glaring at him, her face red with a combination of anger and embarrassment. 'Coffee?' he asked her as though he hadn't just dropped her on the sofa as he moved into the kitchen. A few minutes later he put a cup down in front of her on the coffee table and he took a seat beside her. 'Talk to me, Lauren'

'What do you want me to say?' she asked him.

'You can tell me what happened between you and Marcus that day, you can tell me what you saw in Hawaii' he said to her.

Lauren reached for the coffee and picked it up, cupping it in her hands. 'Marcus is a dick' she said softly 'he knew you were back and he knew I was happy and he wanted to ruin it' Lauren told him 'he saw you watching from the window and he saw you leave'

'What happened between you two?'

'I told you, I broke up with him because he was cheating on me and he doesn't like being dumped. End of' she replied.

'From my viewpoint it looked as though you were getting back together with him, it looked as though you were kissing' he told her.

'And you couldn't have waited for me to come back to explain?' she asked him 'you just had to leave?' she asked him.

'I made a mistake' he told her. 'I don't trust easily. What we had in Hawaii was different. We weren't "together together" then' he told her.

'So you were sleeping with other girls then were you?' Lauren frowned at him.

'No, you know I wasn't' he replied. Lauren got up and walked to the window and looked out.

'Do I?' she replied.

'I spent every spare moment I had with you and when I wasn't with you I was at the bar' he reminded her. Lauren licked her lips and she sighed 'you know I was only with you'

'So you say' Lauren shrugged. Joey took a deep breath and took a sip of his coffee.

'I found my phone. I left it at the B&B in my rush to leave' he told her.

'Good for you' she replied.

'You're not going to make this easy are you?' he asked her.

'Why should I?' she frowned, spinning round to look at him. 'You have no idea what I've been through. What you caused'

'So tell me' Joey looked at her.

'You hurt me' she said, turning back to the window.

'You hurt me too' he replied.

Lauren frowned at him 'I did no such thing!' she said 'it was all in your mind'

'I know that now' he told her softly 'at the time I didn't. I thought you were just like Sarah' he said to her 'we hadn't really talked about us…not really…' he told her.

'I told you I wanted to be with you and that we could make us work' she said to him 'I don't think I could've been any clearer in what I wanted. Maybe it was you who didn't want it, who didn't want us. Want me' she said.

'You know that's not true' he replied, sitting up straighter.

'Do I?' You left pretty quickly. You weren't even prepared to fight for me' she said softly. 'You just left' she said. Joey looked at her, realising she was right.

'Okay, so I made two mistakes' he said. She turned around to look at him.

'And you think that's okay?' she asked him in surprise. 'That you make two mistakes and you apologise and now you think I should just forgive you and fall back into bed with you?'

'No, I didn't say that' he said shaking his head 'I know I have a little making up to do' Lauren shook her head with a small bitter laugh 'Okay a lot' he amended.

'I thought you'd died' she said to him 'I thought it was my fault…' she frowned and took another sip of coffee. 'I thought I was going crazy…my whole family did. I was seeing you everywhere. You were dead and I was seeing you… and the whole time you were alive and you didn't even think to let me know you were okay. Yeah, you really had feelings for me' she told him. 'I can't believe I went after you' she mumbled.

'You said you loved me. In your letters' he reminded her softly.

Lauren ignored his comment 'Did you even go back?' she turned around to look at him.

'Of course I did' he told her 'everything was gone' he told her. 'I only stayed for a day'

'You didn't think to stay for longer? To help your friends? You decided to turn your back on them too?' she frowned at him.

'That's not fair' Joey snapped defensively.

'Isn't it?' she asked 'those people lost everything, they lost their children, their husbands, wives, their friends, their family and you…you couldn't even be bothered to spend a little time helping them out after everything they did for you when you first moved there?'

'It wasn't like that' he shook his head.

'No? Because that's the way it sounds to me, probably how it does to them too' she told him angrily. 'I thought you were better than that, I guess I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things as far as you're concerned'

Joey took a mouthful of coffee and then put his cup down on the coffee table. 'They were grieving for the people they'd lost, they were rebuilding…some of them were sleeping on the beach, there was barely enough food to go round. The Red Cross were doing everything that they could but it wasn't enough. Don't you think it would've been selfish of me to impose myself on them? To steal food out of their mouths?' he frowned at her, feeling his own anger rise too. 'To be a burden on them' Lauren blinked at him 'they wanted privacy, time to grieve for their loved ones, they didn't need me there getting under their feet. They had nowhere else to go. Their homes and lives were destroyed, they had to stay…I didn't. I had options'

'If that's what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night' Lauren replied, as she walked through to the kitchen and put her cup in the sink. She leaned against the unit and closed her eyes. Joey got up and he walked through to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway before he walked over to her.

'Babe' he said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders, turning her round to face him. 'Hey…look at me' he said quietly. Lauren took a deep breath and slowly raised her head to look into his eyes. Joey moved his hand to her cheek and he brushed his fingers over her skin gently. 'It's okay' he told her softly. 'Everything's going to be okay' he whispered as he moved closer to her. His lips brushed against hers in a soft tender kiss.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter Fifty-Nine**

The kiss ended and Lauren looked up at Joey. He was gazing at her intently and he looked a big smug. A bit too smug for Lauren's liking. A fury like nothing she'd ever felt before was building inside her, before Joey knew what was happening, Lauren had pulled back her arm and swung a punch at him, hitting him squarely on the jaw. His head snapped to one side on impact and he stumbled on his feet. Lauren was breathing deeply now.

'HOW DARE YOU KISS ME LIKE THAT!' she shouted at him angrily as Joey turned back to look at her. His hand was holding his jaw, which was throbbing from her punch. She had a pretty mean left hook. 'WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST KISS ME AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY? YOU LEFT ME. YOU LET ME THINK YOU HAD DIED. I HAD A BREAKDOWN BECAUSE OF YOU! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY…MY PARENTS THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY…MY THERAPIST WANTED ME TO VOLUNTARILY COMMIT MYSELF' she shouted at him. Joey blinked at her, surprised by her last comment. The two of them stared at each other, angry tears were rolling down Lauren's face. She dashed them away with the back of her hand and Joey didn't know what to do. He'd expected her to be angry with him. He didn't expect her to hit him. She licked her lips and stalked back over to the window, Joey followed, standing near the coffee table. 'You have no idea what it was like for me' she told him 'I loved you and you were gone…I thought you'd been swept away by the tsunami. I hated the thought of you dying and being angry with me, thinking that I'd used you to get back with Marcus. I thought it was my fault that you died' she said to him. 'I flew out to Hawaii as soon as I could. Dad paid for the ticket…the devastation there was unbelievable. I'll never forgot what I saw.' She shook her head. 'Bodies were washing up on the shore for days after the tsunami…people's hopes that their loved ones had survived were dashed every time a new body was found. Children died...' she trailed off, crying silently as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Joey swallowed, knowing from the conversation he'd had with her mother that Lauren hadn't told anyone what she'd experienced in Hawaii and now she was here opening up to him. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her but he wasn't sure she would let him and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of another one of her punches. 'Lauren…' he whispered softly.

'When I walked along the beach I stood on something…there were a lot of things to stand on, debris from buildings was scattered all over the sand, trees had been uprooted and torn apart like they were made of paper. I crouched down to see what it was that I had trodden on…it was a shoe. A child's shoe…no more than 3 years old… Further along the beach there was a mother…she was screaming and crying…as I got closer to her, I saw she was holding a body in her arms…a small child's body…she was a missing a shoe…' Lauren whispered. Joey closed his eyes and he sat down on the arm of the sofa, waiting for her to continue. 'People's grief was overwhelming, everyone was pulling together to help each other. They were sharing food and cleaning up the beach…worried about their missing loved ones. I volunteered to help and they put me in charge of looking after the children whose parents were missing. We drew pictures and I told them all stories…stories about the three little pigs and other stupid stories…most of the children were reunited with their parents…not all of them though…some of their parents never came for them. They were lost in the tsunami but other family members took them in, with no questions' she said with a frown. 'I'm not sure I was much help to be honest…'

'I'm sure you were' Joey jumped in 'I'm sure you helped a lot' he told her softly.

Lauren shook her head in disagreement 'they wanted their parents not some stupid English girl who thought she could help…they needed builders, first aiders…not someone who could draw' she said. Joey licked his lips.

'You made a difference to those kids' he told her 'you distracted them, you made them feel safe' he said.

'When I went to the bar…it was completely gone. All of it' she said to him 'then I went to the hut…and I was surprised to see it was still there' she said to him.

'It was?' he asked in surprise, when he'd got there it was gone.

'I walked up to it and I opened the door and then were nothing the other side…the rest of it had gone. All that remained was the door and the wall. I thought you'd be in there…' she told him 'I wanted you to be there so badly but you weren't' she said shaking her head. 'I thought maybe you were helping somewhere on the island…I talked to anyone I could find but they told me they hadn't seen you, that they didn't know if you were on the island when the tsunami hit' she said to him softly. 'Most of the bodies that were washed up were Hawaiian…but there were a few that weren't' she said 'one of the people I'd spoken to told me that a white male had been washed ashore and I went to see if it was you. The closer I got to the body the more I thought it was you. The more I wanted it to be you' she said 'I thought If it was you I would have come sort of closure, I would have a body to grieve over. But it wasn't you and I had nothing' she said with a frown, she turned around to look at him. 'You were just…gone'

'I'm sorry' Joey told her softly. 'I really am' Lauren nodded her head and she looked down. 'I didn't have my phone with me. If I had I would've seen your calls and I would've listened to your voice messages' he told her softly 'I swear I would've' he told her 'I had no idea that you would go to Hawaii' he said to her 'I honestly thought you were back with Marcus, he looked down 'I thought…' he looked down and closed his eyes, running his hands through his hair. 'Everything you've been through is because of me'

'Yeah, it is' she replied, a cold tone in her voice. 'I wanted to die' she said to him angrily 'I wanted to die so I could be with you' He looked up at her in surprise at her revelation 'I felt guilty…your death was on my hands…I felt awful…I thought about your parents and I wanted to tell them it was my fault…but I didn't know where they lived or how to contact them…' she trailed off.

'I'm sorry'

'So you keep saying' Lauren said to him with a frown.

'If I could turn back the clock and do things differently I would' he told her.

'Would you?' she asked him.

'Of course I would' he told her 'If I had my phone I would've called you and apologised…I would've written to you but everything I had was washed away with the tsunami. All I had was the things in my backpack' he said to her 'and some stuff that mum and dad had in storage'

'You could have come to visit me' she said to him.

I wasn't sure you wanted me to. I didn't know what had happened…all I saw was you kissing Marcus after you'd spent the night with me'

'I wasn't kissing Marcus' she snapped at him.

'I know that now, but at the time I didn't, did I?' he asked her.

She sighed and shook her head. 'I guess not' she said softly and she sat down on the window ledge running her fingers through her hair. 'Can I use your bathroom?' she asked him.

'Of course. It's down the hall, the door right ahead of you' he told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Tanya looked up as she heard the front door open and close. 'Lauren is that you?' she called out nervously from the kitchen.

'Yes' Lauren replied. She walked down the hallway to the kitchen and leant against the door frame, one look at her daughter and Tanya could tell she'd been crying.

'Are you angry with me?' she asked her.

'On so many levels' Lauren nodded her head with a frown.

'I know I shouldn't have interfered, but when I spoke to Joey and heard how upset he was I just…I thought if you spoke to him…you might both feel better'

'Well I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure Joey's jaw is not feeling too great right now' Lauren said to her 'and I'm not feeling all that great either'

Tanya's face fell at Lauren's disclosure 'I'm sorry' she said.

Lauren sighed 'you meant well' Lauren said to her softly.

'So how have things been left between you and Joey?' she asked.

'I don't know' Lauren admitted to her. 'I'm tired, I'm going to go to bed' she said softly.

'It's still early' Tanya said to her 'what about dinner? I've made your favourite'

'Save me some' Lauren said with a smile. Tanya nodded her head.

'Okay, honey' she smiled back at her daughter. That was a change, usually Lauren would tell her she wasn't hungry. Maybe some good did come from her interfering after all.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. I am so glad you are enjoying the story. For those that keep asking me. All the chapters are of different lengths…they are as long or as short as they are. Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave e a review.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty**

The next day when Lauren got up she felt refreshed. She'd had a four-hour nap when she got back from seeing Joey and then ate the food her mum had saved for her and watched TV with her dad before going back to bed at 11:00pm. She hadn't slept that well for months. Part of her wondered if it had more to do with the fact she'd stopped taking her anti-depressants and her sleeping pills than with talking to Joey, even though she knew it would take more than 24 hours for the effects of the medication to wear off.

She felt bad for punching him in the face and the slap she'd given him outside the café. Not that he didn't deserve them, he did. She just usually wasn't a violent person. She walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see her dad up and dressed already. 'Morning' she said with a smile.

'Morning' he replied.

'So do you want breakfast?' she asked him.

'I was going to make some scrambled eggs and bacon' Max said to her.

'Sounds good I'm in' she nodded her head. 'I'll make a start on the eggs' she said to him, turning to the cupboard and grabbing a bowl.

'Your mum said you saw Joey yesterday' Max said to her.

'Did she?' Lauren asked him and he nodded his head as he put a box of eggs he'd retrieved from the fridge down next to her.

'Mmhmm. So how did things go?' he asked her 'did you talk to him?'

'Yes, we talked' Lauren nodded her head.

'And?' he asked her as he went to get the bacon out of the fridge.

'And I don't know dad' Lauren said to him. 'I feel better having talked to him'

'Are you going to see him again?' he questioned her as he fired up the hob and put a frying pan on it.

'I don't know dad' she answered honestly 'I don't know'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Over the next week, Lauren's parents were pleased to see her appetite had returned and she was clearing her plate at every meal. They could see a huge difference in Lauren's attitude and her demeanour. Both Max and Tanya knew that this had something to do with her meeting with Joey and both were thankful for whatever he'd said to her or whatever had happened between the two of them. Lauren hadn't told them any of the details just simply saying the two of them had talked and that they hadn't spoken since.

Lauren had returned to helping Max out in the car lot, doing some paper work and taking messages for him. She seemed to be working hard and Max was proud of her. He was a little shocked that she had been unsuccessful in finding a job as she was everything a potential employer would want in an employee. He would happily pay her to work for him but he couldn't give her enough hours. She was efficient and quick so she was really only needed in the car lot two days a week. Lauren was pleased that she was earning some money and despite the protests from both her parents she gave them two thirds of everything Max paid her. Max and Tanya agreed to put the money to one side and one day they would return it to Lauren.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren was sitting in the café filling in job application forms at a table near the back of the café and Lucy was keeping her supplied with a steady stream of free coffee. After a couple of hours, a plate of sandwiches appeared in front of her. She looked up to thank Lucy, a smile on her face and she gasped in surprise when she saw it was Joey standing in front of her.

'You look like you could use a break' he said to her. 'Can I sit?' Lauren nodded her head dumbly. 'How have you been?' he asked her.

'Good' she nodded her head 'you?'

'I guess' he shrugged. 'You look good…better' he said to her with a small smile.

'I feel better' she told him with a slight nod of her head as she reached for a sandwich, she took a bite and Joey smiled.

'You've got your appetite back too I see?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to chew the food and swallow so she could answer him.

'I have' she replied 'Listen, Joey there was something I wanted to tell you…I wanted to apologise for hitting you…'

'You don't have to apologise. I deserved it' he told her with a shake of his head 'I probably deserved worse' he said. 'You have a pretty mean left hook' he said to her rubbing his jaw gently.

'I can take care of myself if I have to' she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

'You can certainly do that' he laughed softly. 'Listen…I hope that…' he trailed off as they were interrupted by Lucy.

'Is he bothering you?' Lucy asked Lauren as she towered over the table, looking at her friend in concern.

'No, Luce, everything's fine' Lauren replied.

'Oh, okay' she glared at Joey and then walked back to the counter.

'Sorry about that' Lauren said to him softly. 'She's a bit protective'

'So I see' he replied as he glanced over at Lucy 'if looks could kill' he mumbled as he turned his attention back to Lauren.

'You were about to say something before Lucy came over' she prompted Joey.

'Yes, I was…I hope it's okay that I'm here' he told her 'I wanted to see you, make sure you were okay' he told her softly 'I was worried about you'

'I'm doing okay' Lauren said with a smile 'I'm helping my dad out part time at the car lot and I'm actively looking for employment again, hopefully this time I'll have more luck in finding a job than I had before'

'That's good' Joey said, obviously pleased she was getting things back on track again. He swallowed and glanced around the café somewhat nervously, catching Lucy's eye again.

'What is it?' Lauren asked him with a frown.

'I was wondering…if we could go somewhere more private to talk?' he asked her.

'There's no one at mine' she said to him. 'I'll get Lucy to put these sandwiches in a bag' she said and she grabbed the plate and walked over to the counter.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Ten minutes later Lauren let him into the house and led him through to the kitchen. She set about making them some coffee and got a couple of plates out for the sandwiches. When she sat down she raised her eyes to Joey. 'So you wanted to talk?' she asked him. Joey nodded his head.

'I just…I don't know if I'm overstepping the mark here, but I was kind of wondering about where we stood?' he asked her. 'Are we friends? Or are we not friends? More than friends?' he asked her. Lauren blinked at him 'I'm not asking because I've met another girl, I haven't I just wanted to be clear of our relationship'

Lauren licked her lips and she looked down, it wasn't as though she hadn't thought about this, she had. A lot. She just wasn't sure Joey was going to like her answer. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding and raised her eyes to Joey's.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow, Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty-One**

Joey held her gaze as he waited for her answer. He could tell by the look on her face that she was worried about what she was going to say. He had a feeling he was going to be disappointed by her answer, not that he could really blame her, he knew he'd hurt her and caused her a lot of unnecessary suffering.

'It's okay' he said to her softly, realising he'd put her in an uncomfortable and awkward position.

'I'm sorry, Joey' she said softly 'I don't want to have a relationship with you' she told him.

Joey looked down briefly, swallowing the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. 'I understand' he nodded. 'I realise the past few months haven't been easy for you, you've been through a lot' he told her, he licked his lips 'I really am sorry Lauren, you do know that right?' he asked her, lifting his head to gaze into her eyes.

'Yes, I know' she whispered softly.

'I won't bother you again' he told her as he pushed back the chair and got up. Lauren frowned at him and realised he'd misinterpreted her words. He was half way to the front door when she reached him.

'I didn't mean we couldn't be friends' she said to him. 'I just meant I don't want to have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with you' she told him.

Joey stopped and turned to look at her 'you want to be friends?' he asked her, feeling a little bit relieved and Lauren nodded her head, nibbling on her bottom lips as she worried about what his reaction would be to her suggestion. 'Friends is a start' he said after a brief pause. 'So…this friends thing, how does that work, I mean for us?' he asked her.

'Well for starters you can come back into the kitchen and finish lunch' she told him, turning back and moving back into the kitchen, she sat down on the chair and grabbed a sandwich. Joey did the same. 'Are you okay with us being just friends?' she asked him.

'I'd rather that than nothing at all' he told her truthfully.

'I just don't want…'

'You don't have to explain' he told her softly. 'I get it'

Lauren smiled at him with a nod of her head. 'Good' she replied.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Over the next four months, Joey and Lauren gradually started to meet up. As friends. Joey helped her prepare for a couple of interviews, and comforted her when she didn't get the jobs. He distracted her from her misery about being, as she put it, unemployable. They spent a lot of time talking about what kind of job Lauren wanted to do and she'd showed him some of the pictures she'd drawn. To say that Joey was impressed with her talent was a little bit of an understatement and unbeknownst to her, when she'd left her portfolio in his car, he'd taken copies of her work and was sending it to various publishing houses he knew about in the off chance they would see the talent and skill she had and would approach her to work for them, but so far nothing had come of his efforts. They enjoyed taking walks together, and on occasion Joey took her to the cinema to see films that Lucy and Whitney wouldn't go and see with her. As a result, Joey had seen more than his fair of chick flicks than he would've liked in his short lifetime. All in all, Joey and Lauren were pretty good at being friends, but Joey wanted more and he was pretty sure Lauren did too, but he was worried about crossing the line and ruining what they had. That was until one night when Lauren wanted to go to the cinema again. She wouldn't tell Joey what it was they were going to see and if it'd been any other girl, Joey would've flat out refused to go with her without knowing what he was going to see. He knew there was a new Disney animated film out and was sort of keen to see that. Lauren had dragged him to see Frozen when it was out and much to his dismay he'd found himself singing the words to "Let It Go" when he was driving in his car for many weeks after they'd seen it!

He was surprised when they arrived at the cinema when Lauren announced they were going to see Fifty Shades of Grey. Joey had no clue as to what the movie was about and figured it was another Romantic Comedy chick flick he was being made to endure. About twenty minutes in to the film he was suddenly wondering why Lauren wanted to see this with him. Surely friends of the opposite sex didn't go to see movies like this together. Did they?

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

On the drive back to Lauren's there was an unusual atmosphere in the car, which Joey was putting down to the very sexy erotic film they'd just seen. Lauren kept glancing at Joey and Joey kept glancing at Lauren, but neither at the same time. Joey pulled up outside her house and she glanced up at it, he didn't want their night to end yet. 'Do you want to go for a drink in the Vic?' she asked him 'or do you need to get back?'

'I don't need to rush home' Joey replied with a smile, pleased she didn't want the night to end either. The two of them got out of the car and walked the short distance to the pub. Once inside Lauren dashed off to the toilet after giving Joey some money for the drinks. She looked in the mirror and saw her face was flushed, yes it was a warm night and it was also warm in the pub, but the colour of her cheeks had nothing to do with the heat. She was mortified when she realised just how graphic Fifty Shades of Grey was and she was thankful the cinema was dark so Joey couldn't see the colour of her face which she knew was bright red. She was going to kill Lucy when she saw her next. She needed to apologise to Joey. When she returned he was waiting for her at a table, a glass of white wine waiting for her, and a coke in front of him.

'I'm really sorry about the movie' she said to him, meeting his eyes briefly and then looking down 'Lucy told me it was pretty tame compared to the books, I guess she told a fib'

'And then some' Joey said with a chuckle. 'Having never read the books I have no idea if the film was a true representation of them'

'It was pretty much spot on, give or take a scene or two' Lauren nodded her head. She picked up her wine and took a drink. She put her glass down and licked her lips 'I swear I'm going to beat Lucy to within an inch of her life for this'

'Don't be too hard on her' Joey said softly. 'I'm sure she didn't mean to cause any harm'

'No, I know exactly what she was doing' Lauren muttered. 'She was interfering in something that's none of her business!'

'And that is?' he asked her.

'Us' she said to him, looking at him fully in the eyes for the first time since they'd left the cinema 'She thinks I'm insane for not wanting to be with you' she admitted to him.

'Oh…well, that is none of her business' he said in agreement, picking up his coke and taking a couple of mouthfuls, he wondered where this conversation was heading.

'She needs to worry about her own love life not mine, or lack thereof' she added with a frown. 'Besides…we're happy with the way things are between us so…'

'Are we?' Joey asked her, putting his glass down, deciding to take a big risk and ask her outright.

'Aren't you?' Lauren asked him.

'I'm glad we're friends but…' he trailed off.

'But you want more' Lauren whispered softly.

Joey took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and then nodded his head 'What we have now I really great and I don't want to rock the boat but I'm not going to lie to you. I do want more' he said, watching her to gauge her reaction.

Lauren sighed and she looked down at her wineglass. 'Me too' her reply took him by surprise. She raised her head to look at him again.

'Yeah?' he asked her uncertain that he'd heard her correctly.

'Yeah' she said 'I do' she told him as she watched Joey smile at her.

'So does that mean I can ask you out on a date?' he asked her. 'Tomorrow night?' he looked at her expectantly.

'I think that would be okay' she smiled back at him.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews. Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter Sixty-Two**

Joey was feeling anxious on the drive over to pick Lauren up. He checked his hair in the rear view mirror before climbing out of the car, brushing out imaginary creases in his suit jacket. He closed the car door and took the steps two at a time until he was at her front door. He knocked and waited. A few moments later he heard the sound of heeled footsteps coming towards the door. It was swung open and there in front of him stood Lauren. 'Wow!' he exclaimed as his eyes swept over her, the little black dress she had on certainly highlighted her figure as well as her legs. On her feet she had a pair of kitten heeled sandals. 'I'm a little disappointed though' he said to her and her face fell and she looked down at herself 'I was expecting odd coloured flip-flops' he teased her.

'Oh! Ha ha! Funny guy' she smiled, as she grabbed her keys and purse from the table by the door. 'Ready?' she asked him.

'Absolutely' he nodded, taking a backward step out of the house 'you look gorgeous, Lauren'

'Thank you. You do too' she said appraising him in a suit.

'What? In this old thing?' he grinned as he took her hand and led her towards the car.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren hadn't exactly known what to expect when she'd agreed to go out on a date with Joey. They'd spent the last four months working on being friends and then Joey had asked her out on a date. It wasn't exactly an out of the blue question, she'd been dying for him to ask her out on a date for the last month. And now here they were in his car on the way to a pub to have a drink after a nice dinner in a posh restaurant. Joey had refused to let her pay for anything, insisting that he'd asked her out and he would therefore pay for whatever she wanted. When she asked Joey if she could have oysters, she saw his face pale slightly as he looked at the price and then nodded his head. Lauren hated oysters and she knew some girls would've ordered them anyway, just because they were the most expensive item on the menu. Lauren laughed and told him she was just teasing him and she was going to order the steak. All in all, the date was going just the way Lauren hoped it would. However, she'd made it clear to Joey that the date wasn't going to end up being a sleepover and he'd agreed, surprising and disappointing her in equal measures. But she wanted to take things slowly with Joey this time. She didn't want to get hurt again. And besides she was having a pretty good time tonight, and she knew Joey was too so it wasn't as though there weren't going to be going on more dates.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey parked the car on the road about 100 metres away from the pub and they both got out of the car. 'Do you want to sit inside or outside?' Joey asked her as he guided her up the path towards the pub's doors.

'Outside' she replied.

'Alright, then why don't you find us a table and I'll go inside and get us some drinks?' he asked her.

'Okay' Lauren replied with a soft smile. It didn't take her long to find a table and she took a seat, she only had to wait a few minutes for Joey to return.

Joey smiled at Lauren as he put their drinks down on the table outside the pub. It was a warm summer's night, with a gentle cooling breeze. 'Here you go' Joey said as he sat down next to her on the bench.

'Thank you' she said with a smile as she looked at the drink in front of her. 'A Mai Tai?' she asked him.

'Well I know it's your favourite cocktail' he told her 'of course it won't be as good as mine…' he teased her.

Lauren picked up the glass and took a sip before placing it back on the table. 'It tastes pretty good to me' she replied. She licked her lips and then turned to look at Joey. 'I've had a really good time tonight' she admitted to him. 'I'm glad you asked me out'

'Me too' Joey replied, the breeze caught her hair, blowing a tendril of it over her face, Joey reached out, catching it with his fingers and pushed it behind her ear. His thumb grazed her cheek softly and then he was drawing her towards him. His nose brushed against hers and then he tilted his head slightly as he moved his lips towards hers. Lauren could feel his breath on her lips and her eyes fluttered shut as she waited for the kiss.

'Joey?' a female voice said his name. Lauren felt Joey tense up. He closed his eyes as he recognised the voice. He pulled away from Lauren, the perfect moment between them suddenly ruined.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Joey? I thought that was you. I was going to text you to remind you about the time of the scan for this one' she said as she ran her hand over her very prominent bump. Lauren's eyes widened in surprise as she realised the girl in front of them was pregnant. 'It's tomorrow at 10:00am' she told him with a smile. Joey nodded his head.

'Thanks' he said 'how are you feeling?'

'I'm good' she smiled at him 'been craving pork scratching like you wouldn't believe. That's why I'm here tonight actually' she gestured towards the pub. 'Well I'd better go in and leave you both alone again. Sorry for the interruption' she said, looking at Lauren for the first time.

'I'm sorry, Mel, this is Lauren. Lauren this is Mel' he introduced them.

'Nice to meet you' Mel smiled at her. Lauren blinked at her, not replying. 'Well…I'll go find my friends' she said and she turned and walked into the pub.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren was stunned by what she'd just found out. Her mind was swirling with questions she wanted to ask Joey. She was also angry with him, furious even. How could he keep something like that from her?

'Lauren, I can explain' he said as the girl who'd just been standing in front of them disappeared into the pub.

'Can you take me home please?' she asked him, getting up and walking towards the car without waiting for an answer.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Back tomorrow don't forget to leave me a review.**


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter Sixty-three**

The drive back to Walford was a tense and uncomfortable one. One where the silence that filled the car spoke volumes. Joey flicked his gaze to Lauren, noting she had shifted slightly in the seat so she was more angled towards the window, her hair fell over the front of her shoulder, hiding his face from him.

Joey wanted to talk to her, but he wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't planned for her to find out about his indiscretion in the way she had. He 'd known he had to tell her, he knew he was going to tell her, it was the when he was going to tell her that he hadn't been sure of. But now that'd been taken care of for him in a very unexpected and fucked up way. He wondered what she was thinking, so he decided to ask her. 'What are you thinking?'

Lauren sighed 'I'm cold' she replied. Joey reached out and turned the heating on in the car. 'Thank you' she said softly as warm air started to seep into the car. Joey took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

'I was going to tell you' he told her.

'When?' Lauren frowned, staring out of the window 'when you had to rush off to the hospital as she went into labour?' she asked him 'she's what 7 months?'

'She's eight months' tomorrow' he told her.

'How long have you known?' Lauren asked him, turning her head to look at him.

'She told me when she first found out she was pregnant so about 6 and a half months' he told her.

'And you didn't think it was important to tell me?' she asked him.

'I was trying to find the right time' he replied 'it's not exactly something you drop into the conversation' Lauren sighed, turning to stare back out of the window again. 'I didn't want to ruin things between us'

'Because not telling me hasn't done that' she snapped at him angrily.

Joey blinked, wishing he hadn't tried to get Lauren to talk to him about this now, maybe he should've just given her some time to think about it first. 'I'm sorry' he told her honestly 'the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you'

'I'm not hurt' she lied 'I'm disappointed. I thought I could trust you'

'You can' he protested.

'Really? Because what happened tonight proves that I can't' she replied 'you've been lying to me the whole time'

'I haven't been lying to you' he told her 'I just…haven't told you the whole truth' he frowned, even that sounded wrong to his ears. 'I'm not with her. I haven't been with her since we hooked up 8 months ago. She was just a bit of fun, that's all…' he trailed off.

'I don't want to talk about it, Joey' she told him 'I'm so angry with you right now, I'm likely to say or do something that I might regret'

Joey sighed again. 'I'm sorry' he said as he turned into the square. He pulled up outside her house and turned off the engine. Lauren reached for her seatbelt and unbuckled it, reaching for the door. 'Can I call you tomorrow?' he asked her.

'No' she shook her head 'I need some time, Joey'

Joey nodded 'I get that' he replied softly 'kind of threw me for six when I found out about it' he swallowed and looked around the square, it was barely 11pm but most of the lights in the houses were out. People were leaving the pub on the corner, laughing and joking. A couple kissed and linked their hands together as they headed home. Joey turned back to Lauren. 'Will you call me when you want to talk?' he asked her 'I'll answer any questions you might have'

'I need to get inside' she told him and she opened the car door and climbed out.

'Lauren…I really am sorry. I didn't want you to find out that way' he told her.

'But I did' she replied, pushing the car door shut. Joey watched as she practically ran up the steps to her house, unlocked the door and stepped inside without even giving him a backward glance.

'Shit!' he cursed, hitting the steering wheel with his hands. This wasn't the way he planned the night to end. He started the engine and he pulled away from her house. His tyres squealed as he took the corner a little faster than he should've done. He had no one here to blame but himself. He should've told her sooner. Now he had to wait and see if she called him, to see if she wanted to talk. It wasn't exactly the best first date that he'd ever had, although it was currently his worst.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey let himself into his flat as his phone beeped, indicating he had a text message. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, hoping the message was from Lauren, he was disappointed to see the text was from Melissa.

' _ **Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your night. I hope your date wasn't too upset. Sorry again. Mel'**_ he read.

Joey typed a quick reply _**"Not your fault. I should've told her. I'll be at the doctor's appointment tomorrow at 10:00am, Joey"**_ he sent the message and then headed through to the bedroom. He stripped off his clothes and climbed under the sheets.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lucy was surprised to get a text from Lauren at 11:00pm. She thought she was going on a date with Joey and wasn't expecting to hear from Lauren until tomorrow. But the tone of her text made her think that something bad had happened and she needed to talk to Lucy now. She climbed out of bed and threw on some clothes and headed over to number five. Lauren was waiting for her, having been watching out of the lounge window for her, she opened the door quietly as Lucy was about to knock, letting her friend in. Lauren led her through to the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Lucy sat down at the table and Lauren grabbed the bottle of vodka she'd put there and poured them both a generous glass and then sat down.

'What's happened?' Lucy asked her as she watched her friend empty the glass in one go.

'He's having a baby' Lauren told her.

'Who is?' Lucy frowned as Lauren refilled her glass.

'Joey' Lauren told her, looking up at her 'he got some girl pregnant and they're having a baby together'

Lucy blinked at her, stunned by the news Lauren had just given her. She picked up her vodka and downed it in one, the same way Lauren had and then refilled her glass.

'So the date didn't go too well then?' Lucy asked her softly.

'You could say that' Lauren replied. 'Actually, I guess that's unfair…it was going really well until I found out…she sighed.

'What are you going to do?'

'I can't see him anymore' Lauren said shaking her head.

Lucy frowned at her 'Why not?'

'Didn't you hear what I just said? He's having a baby with someone else'

'That's hardly a big deal Lauren, so he got another girl pregnant. You weren't together at the time so he hasn't cheated on you. I'm sure him finding out was just as shocking to him as it was to you. At least he's told you'

'Actually, he didn't' Lauren shook her head. 'We bumped into his…whatever she is at the pub we went to' she replied. 'She reminded Joey of the time of the scan she has tomorrow'

'Oh…well that changes things a little' Lucy said 'maybe he was about to tell you?'

'I doubt that' Lauren said taking another long drink of vodka. 'He's had the last two months to tell me and he didn't' she frowned.

'How pregnant is she?' Lucy asked her curiously.

'Eight months' Lauren put her glass on the table 'She's eight months pregnant'

'Wow' Lucy said 'I can see why you're a bit pissed off with him then' she nodded.

'A bit pissed off? I'm furious with him' Lauren told her angrily. Lucy drank some more vodka. Tonight was going to be a long night.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, Back tomorrow don't forget to leave me a review.**


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty-four**

Joey had to wait three long days until Lauren contacted him and when she did she sounded off with him over the phone…but she told Joey she was ready to talk. Joey wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear what Lauren had to say, but agreed to meet her at a café half way between their houses, on "neutral ground" as she put it.

Lauren was already seated with a coffee when he arrived and it looked as though she'd brought him one too. He took a deep breath and walked towards her table, pulling out the chair and sitting down opposite her. 'Hi' he said softly. 'I wasn't sure you'd call' he admitted to her.

'Neither was I' she replied, not even smiling. She picked up her coffee and blew on it before taking a sip.

'I'm glad you did' Joey told her truthfully 'I wanted to explain why I hadn't told you'

'I'm listening' Lauren fixed her hard gaze on Joey. He looked into her eyes and saw no warmth in them. Just anger. He licked his lips and looked down at his coffee and reached for the sugar, plucking a sachet up out of the container on the table, he ripped the top off, pouring the contents into his cup.

'I wasn't sure how to tell you' he said to her 'I didn't want you to be upset or hurt and I didn't want to ruin things between us when they were going so well' he told her 'I didn't want to ruin my chances of getting you back' he said with a sigh 'it's taken me months of sending you letters and flowers before you even agreed to talk to me. If I'd told you about Mel straight away… you would've run a mile and then I found out she was pregnant with my baby' he said. 'It came as a shock to me too when she told me. I didn't exactly take the news very well. It wasn't my finest moment' he licked his lips and looked down into his cup. 'One night of sex with someone you barely know shouldn't end up with your whole life changing and having fatherhood thrust upon you' he told her. 'Look, Lauren. I knew it was wrong not to tell you, I wanted to so many times...but I was scared I would lose you again. For good this time' he said softly.

'So you were happy to start our relationship off again on a lie?' she asked him 'after everything that we've…I've already been through…' she trailed off.

'It wasn't a lie'

'No? When were you going to drop that on me? After we'd been on a few more dates? After we'd slept together? Make sure that I was in too deep to be able to walk away?' she frowned at him.

'You want to walk away?' he asked her, paling significantly.

'I'd started to trust you again. I'd started to think that you actually cared about me…and then I find out you're having a baby with someone else? It's too much, Joey' she shook her head. Joey blinked at her.

'I do care about you, Lauren…I want to make us work. I'll do whatever it takes to make things okay between us again' he told her as Lauren drained the last of her coffee. Not wanting her to leave he got up and rooted around in his pocket for his wallet, putting his mobile on the table, 'I'll get you another coffee' he told her and he walked to the counter, standing in the queue behind some other people waiting to be served. Lauren watched Joey as she reached for his mobile phone and scrolled through the numbers until she found what she was looking for. Picking her own phone up off the table she entered the number quickly and put Joey's phone back in place before he caught her. She slid her phone into her bag and glanced up at Joey. She'd had a long talk with Lucy the night she found out about Mel and the baby and as the two girls got progressively drunker Lucy was teasing her about being the evil step mother to Joey's son or daughter, which Lucy found hysterical. Lauren, however, hadn't found it quite as funny. Lauren had thought about it more seriously the next day. She loved kids, but did she really want to help Joey bring up someone else's child? Could she be that selfless? Could she stand knowing that this Mel woman was going to be in Joey's life forever? That he would drop everything and go to her if she called him because their child was ill? She wasn't so sure that was what she wanted for her future. And if she didn't, did that mean that she and Joey didn't have a future either? Joey placed another cup in front of her and she looked up at him.

'Thanks' she said softly. She reached for the sugar and tore open two sachets and poured them in to her coffee. She sighed and she looked up at Joey.

'What are you thinking?' he asked her.

'Honestly?' Lauren asked him and he nodded his head.

'Yes, please' he replied, looking at her intently.

'I'm not sure I want to be in a relationship with someone who has a child with someone else' she told him. 'I don't want to be second best'

'You won't be' Joey told her firmly.

'No? Every time she calls you're going to go running to her. Every time the baby is sick, you're going to want to be there. School assemblies, birthdays, Christmas…and I'll be standing on the side lines watching you play happy families with someone else' she told him.

'No, Lauren it won't be like that' he shook his head. 'You'll come first'

'No, Joey. I won't' she snapped at him and then she sighed 'and that's the way it should be' she said softly. 'I just don't know if that's what I want for my future'

Joey swallowed and nodded his head in understanding. 'So what does that mean for us?' he asked her quietly.

'I'm not sure there's going to be an us, Joey' she replied 'maybe the time we had in Hawaii was all we were supposed to have' she looked down at her coffee, picking up the cup and taking a drink 'I'm sorry…' she shrugged.

'I don't believe all we were meant to be was a holiday fling. I think we're supposed to be more than that. I don't want to lose you, Lauren' he told her, his voice tinged with sadness.

'I need some time, Joey' she told him 'please?'

He nodded his head, knowing he had to give her what she wanted or he risked losing her forever. Even though he knew that was already a possibility. 'Okay' he whispered.

Lauren put her cup down and she stood up, pulling on her coat and sliding her bag over her shoulder. 'Thanks for the coffee' she gestured to the barely touched cup on the table.

'Anytime' Joey replied with a small smile. He turned his head and watched her walk out of the café and possibly out of his life.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey sat in the café after Lauren had left. Thinking about what she'd said. He knew it was a big decision to make and he also knew she needed some space and time to make it. If he was being honest, if the situation was reversed and she was having a baby with another man he wasn't sure how he would react either.

If only he hadn't left Walford the way he did. If only he'd stayed at the B&B and waited for Lauren to return and explain what was happening in the gardens with her and Marcus. If only he'd checked to make sure he had his phone. He knew he would've listened to her messages sooner or later and then he would've realised he'd made a mistake. He would have come back for her and things between them would've been different than they were now. Maybe their relationship would've fizzled out. Long distance relationships hardly ever stood the test of time, but maybe theirs would've. He believed what they had was special worth fighting for…although he hadn't exactly proved that to her so far. He was an idiot. If only he'd told her the truth from the start. He had so many "if onlys" and "maybes" floating around in his heads, the biggest one being if only he'd worn a bloody condom 8 months ago, then he wouldn't be in this mess.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, don't forget to leave me a review. Back tomorrow.  
**


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter Sixty-five**

Lauren walked back towards Walford. She felt bad for leaving Joey in the café, bad for the things she'd said to him, but she'd told him the truth. She'd told him how she was feeling…he'd asked her to. At least one of them was being honest. She frowned as she thought about it from his side a little more. Telling someone you were trying to start a relationship with that you were having a baby with another woman couldn't be an easy thing to do. She had no idea how she would even broach the subject. Of course if it'd been her and she was already pregnant and showing, Joey wouldn't exactly be able to miss it. She wondered how he'd react if the situation was reversed. If he asked her for time to think things through would she give it to him? She thought she would. She only hoped he would do the same for her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren got home, relieved to find the house empty. She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She pulled out her phone and pulled up the number she'd taken from Joey's phone and stared at it, her thumb hovering over the green call bar at the bottom of the screen. Making this call could be a mistake, a huge mistake and Joey would most likely be pissed off with her if he found out she'd stolen the number off his phone and went behind his back. She sighed, putting the phone back down on the table, pushing back her chair as she got up, she grabbed a glass from the cupboard over the sink, crossing the room to get some orange juice from the fridge. Pouring herself a glass she walked to the kitchen sink and gazed out of the window. She was torn between what to do. Maybe she just needed a break from everything. She knew if she spoke to Lucy she would insist she needed to have a night out to let her hair down and forget about all her problems. She smiled to herself, she had an idea. She'd round everyone up and arrange a night out. Placing her half-drunk glass down on the table, she grabbed her phone and left the house.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

That night the group of friends headed to a new pub, deciding that they wanted a change of scene from the Queen Vic. Lauren looked around the pub and she saw Mel, she nodded to Lucy and Lucy gave her the thumbs up sign and she pulled her phone out of her bag and pretended to be talking to someone as she walked past her. Lauren smiled as she saw Mel taking an interest in the phone call and she knew her plan was working.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

An hour later and Lucy came to find Lauren outside. 'Well?' she asked her friend 'how did it go?'

'Well, Meanie overheard the conversation and followed me into the toilets when I was "crying" and we talked…'

'And? What did she say?' Lauren asked her.

'She was very sympathetic to my problem' Lucy told her. 'Although I think I may have been a bit too obvious' she added with a frown as she thought about it.

'What do you mean?' Lauren frowned at her. 'You don't think she suspected anything do you?'

Lucy thought about it for a minute and then shook her head 'I don't think so. I just meant I was a bit obvious with my story' she explained to her.

'What did you say?' Lauren asked her. 'Did you deviate from the plan?' she narrowed her eyes at Lucy.

Lucy licked her lips before she started to talk 'well I told her that I'd had a one-night stand after a row with my boyfriend, I told my boyfriend about it and he broke up with me and now I find out that I'm pregnant and I know it's not my boyfriend's because we always used condoms…and the one- night stand told me to go fuck myself when I told him I was pregnant…and now I don't know what to do. I don't want to be single and pregnant…I cried too' Lucy said proudly.

Lauren blinked at her 'wow, you really got into character' she said in surprise. Lucy grinned at her.

'I know' she nodded her head in agreement 'she was very sympathetic' Lucy told her 'and maybe a little bit suspicious…'

'Why? What did she say?' Lauren asked her, her heart pounding in her chest.

'Nothing specific' Lucy said to her 'I mean she didn't outright admit that she's trapped Joey into having a baby with her or anything'

'Did she….did she talk about him?' Lauren asked her quietly, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer to that question.

Lucy nodded her head 'Yes, she did' she told her.

'What did she say?' Lauren asked her, playing with the beer mat so she didn't seem to be too interested but Lucy smiled at her knowingly.

'Not a huge amount, just…he was a great guy and she was sorry things didn't work out between them, but she knew he'd make a great father' she said softly. 'She mentioned bumping into him a few nights ago, said he was on a date…she said she was going to just go inside without saying anything to him, but then she said it looked as though they were about to kiss so she interrupted them' Lucy told her.

Lauren's eyes shot up to meet hers 'so she did it on purpose?' Lauren asked her indignantly. Lucy nodded her head. 'She was jealous?'

'Yep that's what it sounded like to me' she told her 'a little bit of the green eyed monster came to the party'

'What a bitch!' Lauren growled angrily.

'It also sounded to me as though she had hopes that the baby would bring them closer together…' she trailed off.

'As if that's going to happen' Lauren scoffed, although deep down that's what she was worried about, hence the conversation she'd had earlier that day with Joey. 'He doesn't want to be with her, he wants to be with me' she told Lucy.

'Except that someone said she wasn't sure she wanted to be with him, so she may have inadvertently pushed him towards someone else' Lucy said pointedly. Lauren glared at her.

'What else did she say?' Lauren asked her, changing the subject. 'Did you ask her how pregnant she was?'

'Yep she said she was between 30 weeks' Lucy said to her.

'But why would she be having a scan at 7 months?' Lauren frowned 'you have scans between 8 and 14 weeks and 18 and 21 weeks. At 8 months you're...'Lauren trailed off as she mentally calculated in her head 'about 34 ½ weeks'

'She mentioned something about having gestational diabetes' Lucy said with a shrug.

'Which would surely mean she'd be classed a high risk pregnancy and they'd want to keep an eye on her and the baby more frequently than they normally would' she frowned, realising that an additional can would make sense. 'and I'm pretty certain Joey said she was 8 months pregnant' Lauren told her. 'This doesn't add up at all' she told her. 'I think I need to have a little chat with Mel myself'

'What are you going to say to her?'

'I'm going to accuse her of being a liar and tell her that I'm going to tell Joey the truth' she said to her and she slid off the bench and marched into the pub. 'See if she admits she lied'

'And if she doesn't? What if she's telling the truth?' Lucy asked her 'you know she's going to go running to Joey and tell him what you accused her off and then things will really be over between you' he told her friend.

Lauren nodded her head 'if she is pregnant with Joey' baby things are over anyway. I have nothing to lose' she told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren stepped out of the pub a short time later. Her earlier suspicions had now been confirmed. Once she'd confronted Mel with her theory, after an initial denial from her, Mel had confessed and told Lauren the truth. She thought once she knew the truth she would feel better about things, but if she was truthful she didn't. Now he had another problem. She needed to figure out what to do next? Should she tell Joey or should she give Mel the chance to do the right thing?

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. It seems that Mel has told a little bit of a white lie to Joey which now leaves Lauren with a dilemma, should she tell Joey the truth or should she give Mel the chance to? I may be back later with another chapter…don't forget to leave me a review.**


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty-six**

Lauren didn't sleep well that night and she spent the next day toing and froing between telling Joey the truth and waiting for Mel to. She didn't trust Mel to do it, if she was being honest, but did she want to be the one to tell Joey the news? Would he be thankful for it, especially after the last conversation they'd had? She tried to call Joey later that night but his phone went straight to voicemail, she didn't leave a message, deciding she'd try again later. Lauren thought back to the research she and Lucy had done in the café after Lauren had shared her suspicions with her best friend. They'd spent half the day looking up dates of scans during pregnancy and Mel having a scan at 8 months hadn't added up to either of them and Lucy had come up with the plan of talking to Mel and trying to find out more. Lauren smiled, shaking her head, Lucy really could be a best friend when she wanted to be and yet at other times she could also be a supreme bitch.

Lauren decided she'd call Joey later that night and see how things were between them.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey pushed back the covers on the bed and climbed out. The insistent banging on his front door didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon and it was doing nothing for his hangover related headache. He ran his hand over his face and padded barefoot and naked to the door. He unlocked it and swung it open.

'What?' he snapped before looking to see who it was pounding on his front door.

'Good morning to you too' Lauren replied 'am I interrupting something?' she asked him, taking in his state of undress.

'What do you want, Lauren?' he asked her, ignoring her question.

'Can I come in?' she asked him.

'It's not the best time' he told her. Lauren nodded her head, pushing her hands into her pockets.

'Oh. Okay' she said 'Well, then I guess I'll see you around sometime then, Joey' she replied and turned to go.

Joey frowned at words, there seemed to a finality to them. 'Wait' he shouted and then flinched closing his eyes as his head erupted in pain. Lauren turned to look at him. 'You can come in' he told her. Lauren followed him into the flat, giving the door a little extra shove so it slammed shut behind her. Joey groaned, his hand moving to his forehead. 'If you could keep the noise down that would be great' he told her. He moved into the kitchen, with Lauren tagging along behind him and he reached for the coffee jar.

'Why don't you go take a shower, maybe put on some clothes and I'll make some coffee?' she suggested. Joey put the jar down on the counter and disappeared in the direction of the bathroom without a word. Lauren rolled her eyes and set about making them both some coffee. She also found some orange juice in the fridge and poured a glass for Joey. After a search she found some painkillers he could take when he returned as well.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey walked through to the lounge, wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, a half drunk bottle of bourbon in his hand. He watched Lauren at the window, she was sipping her coffee and seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Joey slumped down on the sofa and took a long drink from the bottle. Lauren turned to look at him.

'I've been trying to call you, I've sent you text messages and I've been over three times in the last two days' she said to him.

'Yeah, well I didn't want to see you or talk to you, did I?' he replied taking another swig of bourbon and closing his eyes with a sigh.

'Getting drunk isn't going to solve anything' Lauren told him.

'That's your opinion' Joey replied. 'Me, I think it works just fine'

Lauren sighed and she walked over to the sofa and put her coffee down and sat down next to Joey. 'Has something happened?' she asked him 'you can talk to me you know' she said softly.

'Oh, wait. I know how this goes. I talk to you and then you disappear for days at a time telling me you need some space and time to think about things' he told her nodding his head 'yeah that was a great talk, helped a lot… thanks' he said sarcastically, putting the bottle to his lips again.

Lauren licked her lips and she sighed 'Joey…please. I'm here now' she told him.

Joey frowned at her 'why are you here?' he asked her 'decided that you want to play happy families with me, my ex and our baby have you?' he took another mouthful of bourbon. 'Because if that's why you're here, you're too late' he said 'kids not mine. She lied'

Lauren swallowed, well that answered her question. Mel had obviously told Joey the truth about the baby. Her other question was had Mel told Joey that Lauren had been to see her? 'Oh?' Lauren tried to sound casual.

'Yeah' Joey nodded 'apparently I have the words "sucker, gullible prat" and "a pushover" on my forehead.

'I'm not sure there's enough room for all those words' Lauren said to him, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little 'not unless they were really, really tiny' she squinted at his forehead as if she were trying to see the words.

'Oh you think this is funny?' he snapped at her. 'Forty-eight hours ago I was going to be a father in a few weeks and now I'm not'

'You sound disappointed' Lauren said, this time it was her turn to frown.

'My whole life has just been turned upside down and I've been screwed over again by a woman. How the fuck do you expect me to feel?' he frowned, getting up off the sofa and walking to the window.

'I'm sorry' Lauren said softly. 'I know what it feels like to have your world turned upside down too' she reminded him 'and trust me when I say wallowing in it isn't exactly the best thing to do' Joey glanced at her briefly.

'I've already apologised for that at least a hundred times. If all you're going to do is throw It back in my face every moment you can then you can just fuck off too' he spat at her.

'I wasn't throwing it back in your face, I was just trying to tell you that I know how you feel, that's all' she replied quietly, unable to keep the hurt from her voice.

'You've lost a kid have you?'

'No' Lauren shook her head 'and neither have you' she reminded him. 'The baby wasn't yours, Joey. You should be glad that you found that out sooner rather than later' she told him 'Mel did the right thing telling you the truth. She shouldn't have tried to pin this on you'

Joey turned to look at her, he stared at her 'does this have something to do with you?' he asked her. 'Did you say something to Mel?' he asked her, his eyes burning into hers.

'I might have talked to her' she nodded her head. She could see the anger burning in his eyes and she swallowed.

'So you got her to tell me the kid wasn't mine because you didn't want to be second best to a baby?' he accused her 'you really are pathetic'

Lauren got up off the sofa and she walked over to him 'I was just looking out for you' she snapped at him angrily. 'When you told me she was supposed to be eight months pregnant I knew it wasn't right. Her bump was too small for 8 months' she told him. 'I talked to Lucy about it and we googled when you have ultrasounds during pregnancy and it turns out you only have two ultrasound scans, unless there are complications with the pregnancy. The first scan is when you are around four months and the second scan is when you are about six months' Lauren explained to him. 'Lucy and I bumped into her at the pub you took me too and Lucy started to talk to her and she figured out that Melanie was lying. I spoke to her and called her out on it and she admitted everything to me, she admitted lying to you about being the father of her baby. She said she had gestational diabetes and that's why she was having a late scan…to make sure everything was okay with her and the baby. She lied to you, Joey. I told her she had to tell you the truth or I would'

'You and Lucy decided she was lying and you went to the pub to call her out on it?' he asked her in amazement 'after just meeting her once?'

'I was 99% certain' she told him.

'I can't believe you did that…went behind my back like that!' he shouted at her.

'I was trying to help you' she told him softly 'I didn't want you to be taken advantage of'

'You should mind your own fucking business' he growled at her 'just because your life's fucked up doesn't mean you have to go around and fuck up everyone else's too!' he drank some more bourbon and Lauren sighed.

'I was trying to help, Joey' she told him.

'You weren't trying to help me, you were trying to help yourself. Make it easier for you to get all my attention now that there's not a kid in the way hey?' Lauren sighed and she picked up her coat and bag and walked towards the door 'Truths hurt does it?' Joey called after her 'that's right run away...that's what you're good at'

'No, Joey. That's what you're good at. You run away from everything instead of facing up to your problems and sorting them out. You've run away from your dad, Sarah, me…Mel…you think you can bury your head in the sand and all your problems will go away? Well guess what Joey, they don't' she snapped at him angrily. 'No wonder Sarah cheated on you if this is the way you react when you have some bad news or don't get your own way. You need to grow up, Joey' she told him as she walked out of the flat, slamming the door behind her as she left. Hot angry tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked down the drive and round the corner.

Joey jeered at her through the window, drinking some more bourbon. 'Good riddance' he shouted.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT! Well, that didn't seem to go too well did it? Mel told Joey and Joey figured out it was because of Lauren…oh dear! Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty-Seven**

Three weeks later, Lauren was in the Vic with Lucy and Whitney. The three girls were planning a weekend away in Manchester for Lauren as a treat for her to try and cheer her up. Since her visit to Joey she'd heard nothing from him and was feeling more than a little bit sorry for herself. Whitney and Lucy had pooled their resources and the three of them were planning their itinerary for the trip. Lauren needed the loo so she got up and walked through the pub to go to the ladies. When she walked back towards her friends, she had to go past Marcus and his friends. She'd successfully ignored him on her way to the loo, but wasn't that lucky on the way back.

'Marcus, get off me!' Lauren frowned as he drunkenly grabbed her arm as she walked past his table in the Vic. His mates were jeering him on as he tried to pull Lauren down into his lap. Lauren snatched her arm away from him, slapping his face as she started to move away from him towards Lucy and Whitney across the room. Marcus grabbed her again and stood up, twisting her arm up behind her back with one hand and sliding his other arm around her waist and pulling her back against him, grinding his groin into her bottom. 'OUCH! Marcus, you're hurting me!' Lauren cried out, causing both Whitney and Lucy to look up at their friend in surprise.

'Let her go, you scumbag' Lucy shouted as she scrambled out of her seat, almost pushing Whitney to the floor in her hurry to get to Lauren.

'We're only having a bit of fun' Marcus replied as his hand moved to the hem of Lauren's skirt and started to pull it up. Lauren started squirming in his arms, crying out again when he pushed her arm further up her back. She felt her skirt being pulled higher and then Lucy was there, snatching her skirt out of Marcus' hands and pulling it back down. Lauren raised her foot and stomped down hard on Marcus foot with the heel of her shoe. He shrieked in pain and let her go suddenly, causing her to stumble forward, she managed to keep her balance and spun round and slapped Marcus around the face for the second time as hard as she could, Marcus raised his hand to backhand her in retaliation. Lauren could see the anger and malice in his eyes, which was suddenly replaced by surprise as someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Lauren.

Lauren looked up to see who her saviour was. 'Joey!' she exclaimed in surprise.

'Are you okay?' he asked her softly, his eyes full of concern. She nodded her head, rubbing her wrist to get the circulation back from where it'd been held behind her back. Joey turned and grabbed Marcus by the shoulder, spinning him round and punching him in the face as hard as he could, knocking him off his feet. He fell onto the table and then rolled off the other side onto the floor. Joey turned back to Lauren who was now wearing a shocked expression on her face and staring at her former boyfriend who was out cold and bleeding on the floor of the Vic. Joey cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him. He could see the questions in her eyes and he moved forward and kissed her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After the kiss, Joey took her hand and practically dragged her out of the Vic and across the square to her house. Lauren unlocked the door and then stepped inside. 'Is anyone in?' Joey growled at her. She shook her head and Joey slammed the door, turning her and pressing her against it as his lips reclaimed hers. She dropped the keys she'd been holding as her hands moved to his shoulders when she responded to his kisses. She wondered what had brought this on. She hadn't seen or spoken to him in three weeks, ever since she'd admitted to him that she'd been to see Mel and had been the cause of Mel telling Joey her baby wasn't his. The two of them had a huge row and yes, Joey was hungover and still drinking when they'd had the fight but they'd both said some pretty hurtful things to each other. But now Joey was here, and he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Not that she was complaining. Kissing Joey had never been a chore…she gasped suddenly when she felt him entering her in one swift movement. She hadn't even been aware that his hands had disappeared under her skirt and removed her knickers, or that her legs were now securely around his waist. Lauren dug her nails into his shoulders as he thrust into her in a fast and erratic pace. He was grunting and moaning next to her ear as he strove for his release. She felt one of his hands move between her legs and he began to stroke her clit roughly, pinching it between his forefinger and thumb. Before she even knew what was happening she exploded around him with a surprised scream. Joey followed seconds after she erupted around him, coming with a guttural groan. His head was now resting on her shoulder, his breathing rapid, much like hers.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Bedroom?' he murmured when he'd caught his breath.

'Stairs. First left' Lauren replied just as breathlessly. Joey turned, still holding her, still buried deep inside her. He opened her bedroom door pushing it shut with his foot once they were in the room, he carried her the short distance to the bed and lowered her down onto it. He bent his head, capturing her lips with his and kissed her hungrily. She was surprised to find Joey hardening again inside her. He broke the kiss with a groan and pulled at her top. Lauren was sure she heard the sound of ripping as the garment was removed and then tossed over the side of the bed. She grabbed his t-shirt and yanked it up, Joey pulled away from her and his top soon joined hers on the floor. Joey started to move inside her again as he freed her breasts from her bra, pushing it out of the way, capturing a peak in his mouth, pinching her nipple between his teeth causing her to groan and arch her back off the bed. And then suddenly he withdrew from her and clambered off the bed. For a moment Lauren was confused, thinking that Joey had changed his mind, but when she looked at him she realised he was stripping off the rest of his clothes at lightning speed. She wriggled out of her skirt and unhooked her knickers from her ankle, Joey took them from her and dropped them on the floor before he climbed back onto the bed, he rolled her onto her front and unhooked her bra, which joined the pile of clothes discarded carelessly on the floor. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her so she was on her hands and knees. He moved behind her and thrust back into her hard, causing her to cry out in surprise. This time, Joey's movements were rhythmic and deliberate. Lauren could feel every glorious inch of him as he moved inside her. One of his hands stayed on her hip, and the other one slid around her waist and moved to cup a breast. She could feel his chest on her back and his lips on her neck and shoulder. Lauren groaned loudly when Joey rolled her nipple between his fingers. He knew exactly how and where to touch her when they were fucking. He'd learnt a lot about her body and how to pleasure her in those six weeks they'd spent together in Hawaii, he knew a lot more than Stuart did and they'd been together for two years. She closed her eyes tightly, letting the sensations that Joey was invoking in her flood through her body. She was moaning continuously now, on the brink of another orgasm and Joey withdrew from her again, pulling her upright, she turned to face him and the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds and then Lauren crawled onto his lap, impaling herself on his length, holding his gaze as she did so. Joey groaned loudly, Lauren placed his hands on her hips, holding them in place as she started to move painfully slowly. They were both breathing fast, both wanting to reach their peaks but wanting to draw it out at the same time, needing to wring every single solitary bit of pleasure from the other that they could.

'Fuck!' Joey groaned, moving their positions so Lauren was on her back, she wrapped her legs around him and raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Joey had forgotten just how good she felt. He began to piston his hips faster and faster. Lauren was now murmuring his name over and over and over…hearing his name spill from her lips like that egged him on. He needed her to come. He need to feel her tightening and squeezing him in the way only Lauren could.

'JOEY! JOEY! JOEY!' her nails dug into his shoulders painfully, breaking the skin. She raked them down his back and he spiralled over the edge. He came hard and fast, roaring her name as he did so. He collapsed on top of her and then withdrew his wilting member and lay on his back beside her. The room was filled with the sound of them both gasping for air.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand as he looked down at Lauren. He reached out and brushed her damp hair off her face, she turned to look at him. 'Hi' he said softly.

Lauren blinked up at him 'hi' she replied.

'Are you okay?' he asked her 'Marcus didn't hurt you?'

'A little, but I'm fine' she replied, absentmindedly rubbing her wrist again. She frowned slightly 'where did you come from?' she asked him.

'I was on my way to see you' he told her 'to apologise, to beg forgiveness…to ask for another chance…I certainly didn't intend for it to end up like this' he said gesturing at the two of them 'not that I regret what just happened. I don't….do you?' he asked her worriedly.

'No' she shook her head, licking her lips. She wasn't sure what to say to him, there were so many things she wanted to ask him but she had no clue where to start.

'Do you love me?' he asked her.

'What?' her voice filled with surprise at his direct question.

'Do you love me?' he repeated.

Lauren looked away for a moment before returning her gaze to his 'yes' she replied quietly 'I love you'

Joey smiled at her 'good' he said and he fell quiet. Lauren frowned, she hadn't expected that response. She wasn't entirely sure she knew what she expected to him say but "good" wasn't it.

'Good?' she said, sitting up, wishing she had something to cover her nakedness with. She felt her eyes fill with tears inexplicably and she turned her back to him, reaching to open one of her drawers. She pulled out the first thing her hands closed on, tossing it back inside in disgust when she realised it was a thong. She rummaged around in the drawer and found a t-shirt and she pulled it onto her body and stood up.

'Hey! Where are you going?' he asked her as she walked around the bed and crouched down, rummaging through their clothes to pull hers out.

'Good?' she said again her voice a little high pitched.

'Well, it is good. You love me, I love you' he said softly. Lauren blinked at him.

'What?' she wasn't sure she heard him right.

He held his hand out to her, after a moment she took it and he sat up and pulled her to sit down on the side of the bed. 'I love you' he repeated, he reached out and brushed away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. 'I miss you. I need you. I want you… and I love you' he told her 'I've been such a supreme dick over the past God knows how long and I'm so sorry. I don't want to lose you Lauren. I know I'm not easy to love…I know you probably wish you didn't…'

'All the time' Lauren replied honestly. 'I wish I could hate you...that I didn't love you or want you, or need you. I wish I didn't miss you so damned much' she whispered softly.

'I know the feeling' he replied, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly 'Can you forgive me for being an idiot?' he asked her 'For hurting you, for saying what I did?'

'Yes' she murmured truthfully against his neck 'always'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later they were lying in bed, wrapped in each other's arms after making love again. Lauren was feeling sleepy and could feel her eyes drooping shut 'You can't stay the night' she told him firmly 'mum and dad will pitch a fit at the bad example I'd be setting for Abi'

'I know, I won't' he promised her 'what time are your parents due back?'

'I don't know' she said softly 'they've gone up the West End with some friends'

'And Abi, where is she?'

'I think I heard mum say something about her staying at a friend's tonight'

'So we still have some time before I have to leave?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled and nodded her head. 'A little, yeah'

Joey pressed his lips against her forehead 'good' he replied. Lauren smiled as she closed her eyes.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT! I hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to leave me a review, back tomorrow.**


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter Sixty-Eight**

Max glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was 7:00am. Thankfully today was Saturday and he didn't have to go to work. Not that he would actually be able to work, not the way he felt this morning. He had the mother of all hangovers. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this rough. He covered his face with his hands and slowly sat up. He glanced at Tanya and saw she was still asleep. He carefully and slowly got out of bed and walked to the bedroom door, pulling his robe off the back and putting it on. He left the room as quietly as he could and made his way down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he could hear someone moving about in the kitchen. He knew Tanya was still in bed and Abi had stayed at a friend's house last night. Lauren was still not sleeping too well and he'd often find her up and about, cleaning the house or kitchen to keep herself busy. He smiled to himself, with a little shake of the head which he instantly regretted as pain exploded in his skull. He steadied himself on the bannister before making his way to the kitchen.

'Lauren, make your old man a coffee. I'm feeling a bit delicate this morning' he said. He stopped in the doorway as he saw a strange man making toast and coffee in his kitchen. 'Who the hell are you?' he frowned at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren woke up when she heard her dad leave his bedroom, she yawned and stretched and her body ached at the movement. She smiled to herself and rolled onto her side, pressing her head into the pillow Joey's head had been laying on. She could smell him on the fabric. She wondered if it was too early to text him or call him. He'd told her last night that he loved her. She grinned broadly and pushed back the covers, there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep now. She climbed out of bed, stepping over her discarded clothes from the night before and pulled her robe off the chair, slipping it on. She opened her door, quickly slipping into the bathroom. A few minutes later she crept down the stairs. As reached the bottom she could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Her dad sounded angry. She frowned and quickly walked towards the room, wondering what had got her dad so riled up this morning. He was leaning up against the sink staring across the other side of the room 'Who are you giving a hard time to this early in the morning, dad?' she asked in amusement as she walked into the room.

'That would be me' Joey said.

Lauren turned her head to see Joey leaning up against the fridge. 'You're still here?' she said, stating the obvious.

'Yep' he said, his attention now focused on her 'I am' he smiled at her.

'You know him?' Max asked looking at Lauren. 'What did I tell you about bringing guys back here hey?' he frowned.

'You were supposed to leave' Lauren told him, ignoring her father completely, as a slow smile spread across her face.

'I know. I planned to. I guess I fell asleep' he told her 'I was making you some breakfast' he gestured to the table 'I was going to bring it up…but…' his eyes darted to her father briefly before returning to her and he raised his eyebrows at her.

'Yeah?' she asked him, playing with the belt on her dressing gown. Joey's eyes fell to her hands and then to her legs. Max frowned as he watched the interaction between the two of them. He didn't like the way this strange man was looking at his daughter as if he'd seen what was under her robe, he also didn't like the way Lauren was acting as though she'd be more than willing to show him what was under her robe.

'Hey!' he snapped, making both of them jump and causing another explosion of pain in his head. Lauren turned her attention to her dad and she looked at him.

'You look awful' she told him 'why don't you sit down before you fall down?'

'I don't need to sit down' Max frowned at her 'I want an explanation' he said 'who the hell is this?' he glared at her, Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled out a chair and took her dad's arm and led him to it, pushing gently.

'Sit' she said firmly. Max sat down with a groan as Lauren moved around the kitchen to find some headache pills. She filled a glass with water, putting both items down in front of her dad.

'Good night out last night was it?' she asked him with a smirk, remembering similar conversations between her and her dad when she was the one hungover in the mornings. Max picked up the tablets, popping them into his mouth and swallowing them with the water, grimacing as they slid down his throat.

'I don't need any attitude from you Lauren, thank you' he told her with a frown 'are you going to answer my question or not?'

'Dad, this is Joey Matthews' she said as she turned to look at him. 'Joey, this is my dad, Max Branning' she said, walking over to Joey. Joey put his arm around her shoulders as she stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the mouth 'Morning' she whispered softly.

'Morning' Joey smiled down at her. Max frowned at hearing the name, pushing himself to his feet.

'Joey? Joey Matthews? Hawaii Joey?' he asked her.

Lauren turned to look at him, seeing her dad's hands clenched into fists by his sides. She rolled her eyes at him and then nodded her head. 'Yes, dad. Joey Matthews' Lauren replied 'sit down before you pass out or fall over' she told him firmly. She looked at the toast and coffee Joey was getting ready for her and she pushed the cup and plate until they rested in front of her dad. 'Get this down your neck, you'll feel better once you do and then we can talk' she told him, she took Joey's hand, leading him out of the room. Max knew she was right, he felt rougher than he had when he'd got up. He didn't have the strength to have an argument with Joey right now, let alone punching him which is what he really wanted to do.

'Where are you two going?' he asked her 'not upstairs I hope' he mumbled over his shoulder, not that he was in any fit state to do anything about it if they did, but then he heard the lounge door close and he smiled, picking up the toast and taking a tentative bite.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren turned to look at Joey 'you were supposed to leave…' she reminded him.

'I know. I meant to…you were supposed to stay awake to make sure I didn't fall asleep' he replied with a smile 'but someone fell asleep' he said walking over to her, reaching out and hooking his fingers through the bow of her robe, pulling her slowly towards him.

'You know, you're pretty lucky dad is hungover, or he'd really be kicking off right now. You're not exactly his favourite person' she told him softly.

'I'll bet' Joey nodded his head in understanding. 'Listen, why don't you go pack a bag and come back to mine for the weekend?' he suggested to her.

'I'm not sure that's a good idea' she said softly, her eyes darting to the door that led to the kitchen. Joey smiled as he started to undo her bow.

'Why not, I think it's a great idea. We could use some time alone together. We need to talk' he told her 'and do other things' he smiled, as his hands slid inside her robe and rested on her hips, his meaning clear as to what those "other things" were.

'We don't need to spend the weekend at yours to talk' she told him, slapping his hands away and retying her robe. 'You'd better go before dad starts to feel better' she said 'I'll call you later' she said taking his hand and leading him through the room and to the front door.

'I'll be back at 11:00am to pick you up' he told her firmly, 'and you'd better have a bag packed' he moved forward and stole a kiss, then opened the front door and left before she could say anything in response.

'Lauren?' her dad called out from the kitchen. She sighed and walked down the hallway, mentally getting herself ready for the talk she knew she was about to have with her dad.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. It's a shame Max has a hangover or this could've been a very different chapter! Don't forget to leave me a review, back tomorrow.**


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Sixty-nine**

Lauren was upstairs in her room, getting dressed after her long hot shower. Her dad hadn't been happy with her for letting anyone stay over, but he was especially unhappy that it was Joey. He knew what had happened between the two of them when she'd returned from his flat three weeks earlier in tears and she'd brokenly told him the things he'd said to her. He'd been worried that she was going to take another downward spiral and her health would suffer as a consequence. But, to his relief, she hadn't. She'd picked herself up, brushed herself down and carried on with her life. But now…now she'd chosen to let this boy into her life again, after everything he'd previously done to her…well he was not a happy man and she knew it. And now, thanks to her dad's yelling so did her mum. Tanya had been woken up by Max "hitting the roof" and yelling at Lauren. The food, coffee and headache tablets Lauren had given him had kicked in, and by all accounts Max was feeling much better. Lauren not so much however. Tanya had walked into the room at the moment when Max was telling a shocked Lauren that she needed to learn how to keep her knickers on. At this point, Tanya had ushered a tearful and angry Lauren up the stairs for a shower, telling Max he had no right to speak to Lauren or any woman like that.

Lauren glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was half past ten. A weekend at Joey's sounded even more appealing than it did when he'd suggested it. She hurriedly finished getting dressed and grabbed a bag and started to throw some clothes into it, making a snap decision. She could hear her parents still arguing in the kitchen. Tanya firmly on Lauren's side and Max on his own. She heard her dad telling her mum that she wasn't aware of the facts and was stupid to be on Lauren's side.

Lauren sighed, picking up her bag and heading down the stairs. She put the bag down by the door and pulled on her coat and slipped her house keys into her pocket. She walked through to the kitchen and they both looked up at her, or rather Tanya looked up at her, Max just glared at her, red faced. 'And where do you think you're going?' Max frowned seeing her wearing her coat.

'I'm going to see Joey' she told him 'we need to talk about things'

'You're not going anywhere with him' he replied. 'You do not step foot outside this house' he growled at her angrily.

'Max…' Tanya started to say.

'I'm 24 years old. I'm not a child' Lauren replied 'You do not get to tell me who I can and can't see and what I can and can't do' she told him firmly. 'I'm going to see Joey and I'm going to spend the weekend there and yes, I might have sex with him again…a lot' she added causing her father's face to turn even redder 'but it's my decision to make, not yours. Yes, I know Joey has hurt me in the past…but I love him' she told them both 'and you always told me to follow my heart and that's just what I'm doing now' she said softly 'I love him, dad. I have to see if we could be happy together' she licked her lips 'and if it doesn't work out, you can say I told you so and be all smug and righteous about it then' she told him.

'Do you need any money, sweetheart?' Tanya asked her.

'No mum…I don't need any' Lauren shook her head as Tanya reached for the secret stash she kept in the cookie jar in the cupboard, popping the lid off, she pulled out a couple of £20 notes and held them out to Lauren. 'I don't need any money' Lauren repeated.

'Take the money, Lauren' Max said a little calmer now. 'You might need to get a taxi home' he told her 'unless you call me and I'll come and get you' he told her.

'You're going to be over the drink drive limit until next Thursday by the look of you this morning' Lauren teased him, letting her dad know they were okay. While this was true, there was also a part of her that thought this wasn't a good idea for him to know where Joey lived…for Joey's safety more than anything.

'That might be true' he nodded his head with a faint smile 'I'll feel better if I knew you had money' he told her softly. Lauren nodded her head and she took the money and then she moved forward and kissed her dad on the cheek.

'I love you' she whispered softly. She turned to look at her mum, kissing her too, grateful that her mum seemed to understand the decisions she'd made 'I love you too, thank you' she held up the money and turned and walked to the door, picking up her bag she went outside and sat down on the step to wait for Joey.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey was nervous as he drove towards Lauren's. He wasn't sure she knew he was serious about picking her up at 11:00am. He drove past the car lot and then pulled up outside Lauren's house, smiling when he saw her sitting on the steps, a bag beside her. She looked as though she was miles away, so he hooted the horn at her. She turned to look towards the car and the smile that lit up her face took his breath away. She leapt up, grabbing her bag and ran down the steps, towards the car. Joey leant over to the passenger seat and opened the door, giving it a little push as she got to it. Lauren gave him her bag and he tossed it onto the back seat as she climbed in and closed the door. She grabbed the seatbelt and pulled it on, looking up at Joey as she clicked it into place.

'Hi' he said with smile, when he reached over, cupping her face in his hand as he moved forward to kiss her. He intended the kiss to be brief, having noticed Lauren's father peering round the net curtains, but as soon as her lips touched his, he couldn't help but deepen the kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, seeking out hers. Warmth unfurled in Lauren's stomach and travelled lower at his kiss and she gave a soft moan as her hand rested on his wrist.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max frowned as he watched "the boy" manhandle his daughter. He only hoped that Lauren was right to follow her heart and she wouldn't end up getting hurt...again. Because if he did hurt her again, by God "the boy" was going to be sorry.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey ended the kiss before they got too carried away in the front seat of his car. He knew that wouldn't be a good idea, for one thing it was broad daylight and anyone walking past would be able to see into the car and see what they were doing and secondly he was almost certain her father was still watching them through the window.

'Hi' Lauren replied, with a shy smile.

'I was thinking that maybe we could stop off on the way back to mine to get something to eat. You hungry?' he asked her.

'I'm starved. I missed breakfast' she smiled.

'Food it is then' he said as he started the engine.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow, don't forget to leave me a review.**


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter Seventy**

Joey drove them to a little Italian restaurant he liked, holding the door open for her so she could go in first. Joey led them to the table that was tucked away in the corner and they sat down. Lauren shrugged off her coat, placing it on the empty seat beside her. 'How did things go with your dad after I left?' he asked her softly

'He was mad' she told him 'he gave me a lecture about how irresponsible I was, reminding me how impressionable Abi is and how she looks up to me. He asked me what would've happened if Abi had been there last night and this morning' she said with a shrug as she glanced around the restaurant 'his bark is worse than his bite' she told him with a smile.

'Maybe I should've stayed to let him yell at me?' he looked at her worriedly.

'I can handle my dad' she said 'he tried to ban me from leaving the house when I told him you were coming to pick me up' Joey's eye widened in surprise 'he's just worried about me, that's all. Even more so after I came back from Hawaii'

Joey nodded his head 'It's understandable he blames me for that' he told her 'he should have a chance to yell at me and threaten me…'

'I'm sure when you get to meet him again he'll be having words with you' she said as a waitress came over to the table, handing them both a menu and taking their drinks order.

After they'd eaten, Lauren reached into her pocket and pulled out the money her mum had given her and held it out to Joey. 'What's that for?' he asked her.

'For my meal and drinks' she replied.

Joey shook his head 'you can put that away' he told her firmly 'I suggested we eat and I brought you here so I'm paying.' Lauren nodded her head and she pushed her money back into her pocket.

'Thank you' she said softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey unlocked the front door to his flat, stepping inside to let Lauren go in first and then stepping in behind her, shutting the door quickly behind him, just in time as a little black and white fur ball scurried across the floor towards them. Joey smiled and swooped down to pick up the kitten 'Gotcha!' he exclaimed 'your escape attempt has been foiled again, hey?' he asked the kitten who miaowed back in response and then started to purr. 'Yes it has…' he smiled as the kitten rubbed her head against his chin.

'You've got a kitten?' Lauren asked him in amusement and surprise.

Joey glanced at her 'yep. Been thinking about it for a while. It's kind of lonely here in the flat' he told her 'not that you're much company are you, hey? All you do is eat, sleep, poop, bite and scratch' he said in a silly voice as he looked at the kitten.

'What's his name?'

' _She_ doesn't have a name yet, do you, hey?' Joey cooed at the little kitten. 'I want her to be called something different and more unique than all the other cat names' he said to her. 'I just haven't figured out what that is yet' Lauren reached out to stroke the kitten, jumping in surprise as she hissed at her and hit out with her little paw. Lauren pulled back her hand with a surprised gasp, looking down at it as she saw three red lines appear on her skin where the kitten has scratched her.

'Sorry' Joey said 'you're the first new person she's met. I don't think she likes strangers' he told her apologetically. He held the kitten up so he could look her in the eyes 'bad kitty! No scratching Lauren!' he scolded her. Lauren frowned and walked through to the kitchen, running her hand under the tap and then pulling some kitchen towel off the roll to dry her hand with. Joey put the kitten on the floor and she scampered away and out of the room as he walked into the kitchen 'are you okay?' he asked her.

'Yes, it's just a couple of scratches, I think I'll live' she told him with a smile 'you still haven't decorated then?' she asked him. Joey shook his head as he got a plaster for her. She took it from him and pulled it on.

'Nope, and that pisses my dad off no end' he told her 'which is probably why I haven't got round to it yet if I'm honest' he said 'also I'm playing with the idea of going back to Hawaii' Lauren glanced at him 'I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. It kind of depends on you' he told her.

'Me?' she put the rubbish in the pedal bin by the sink and turned to look at him.

'Well, us really' he said to her 'I guess that's one of the things we need to talk about'

'One of the things?' Lauren questioned 'long list is it?' she teased him.

Joey nodded his head 'actually yes, it is' he told her as she walked closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest to circle them behind his head.

'And we have to start talking about them right now?' she whispered as she stood up on tiptoes to press her lips against his. Joey's hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer against him. 'We do have all weekend…' she murmured as her tongue licked the seam of his lips. Joey lost his resolve and he opened his mouth letting her tongue sweep inside. She was right, they did have all weekend to talk. He kissed her hungrily, picking her up and placing her on the counter top as his hands swept under her top, pushing it upwards. They broke the kiss just long enough to pull the garment over her head. Her bra followed next and then Joey slid her off the counter and carried her to the dining table, Lauren pulled his t-shirt off en-route and gave a little surprised squeal as her naked back touched the cold surface of the table. Joey chuckled against her lips.

'Sorry…' he murmured dragging their lips apart, Lauren's fingers were working on the fastenings of Joey's jeans and she soon had them open and was trying to push them down his thighs but Joey had other ideas he caught her hands in his, linking their fingers together and pushed her hands over her head, pinning them to the table, he lowered his head, catching her nipple in his mouth and sucked hard, flicking it with his tongue. Lauren groaned, arching her back off the table as his mouth moved between breasts. Being stronger than her he was able to hold both her wrists in one hand and his free hand slid down her torso to the top of her leggings. He pulled one side down and then then the other until they were at her knees, pleased when he realised her knickers had been pulled off too. He smiled against her nipple as he pressed his fingers against her, feeling she was already wet and ready for him. He raised his head and kissed her, his mouth closing over hers as he pushed three fingers inside her. She mewled into his mouth at the sudden intrusion, her inner walls clamping down on his fingers as he slowly thrust them inside her and removed them again, repeating his actions over and over.

'Joey…' she whined after a while. Joey withdrew his fingers feeling sorry for her, he pushed his jeans and boxers down, and removed her leggings and knickers fully, moving over her, placing himself at her entrance and he pushed forward gently.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey knew she was close by the soft whimpering noises she was making in time with his thrusts, lowering his head he pressed a kiss to the hollow beneath her ear and then whispered to her. 'Hard and fast or slow and gentle?' he asked her.

'Hard and fast…oh God please hard and fast' she panted beneath him. He smirked, knowing that would be her answer and the next time he pulled out of her he thrust back in hard, causing her to cry out in surprise and pleasure. Neither of them heard someone knocking on the door. Nor did they hear the door open followed by footsteps as someone came into the flat, nor did they hear the door close again.

'Well, well, well, what do we have here?' a voice broke into their lust induced haze. Joey froze, recognising the voice. He pulled his lips away from Lauren's throat and raised his head to look up at his father.

 **AN Thanks for all your reviews for TNT, don;t forget to leave me a review for this chapter.**


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter Seventy-one**

'I knocked but you clearly didn't hear me' Derek continued as he looked at his son. 'And who's this? He said turning his head slightly to try to get a better look at the girl beneath his son.

'Do you mind?' Joey frowned at him.

Derek stood there for a few seconds just staring back at his son. 'Oh…Of course not. You carry on son. I'll wait' he told Joey and he walked into the lounge, over to the sofa and sat down. Joey closed his eyes and Lauren opened hers now that she knew Derek was no longer in the room. She could see the tension in Joey's face and she felt it in his body too. She shifted slightly beneath him and pressed a kiss to the jumping muscle on his jawline. Joey's eyes opened and focused on her, she watched as the anger faded away and he smiled down at her.

'I'm so sorry about this' he whispered to her. 'He just shows up...' he withdrew from her and helped her off the table and they started to redress.

'I hope you're going to disinfect that table' Derek called through from the lounge 'very unhygienic'

Joey's jaw twitched again 'Try not to let him to get to you' Lauren whispered softly

'That's easier said than done' he scowled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head frowning when he found it a bit tighter than normal.

'That's my shirt' Lauren said with a soft giggle, Joey pulled the shirt off and they swapped garments. 'Why don't you give me your car keys, I left my bag on the backseat. I can make myself scarce for a little while'

'He won't be staying long' Joey hissed as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and handed them to Lauren.

'Everything alright in there? It's a bit quiet' Derek called out, a smirk audible in his voice. Joey fisted his hands by his sides and Lauren squeezed his arm gently.

'Don't rise to it, Joey' she whispered softly. 'I'll be outside okay?' she asked him, reaching up to press a soft kiss to his lips.

'Okay' he nodded his head and sighed. The two of them walked to the lounge, but Lauren headed to the door instead of towards Derek, letting herself out.

'Something I said?' Derek said raising his eyebrows in surprise as the brunette girl left. 'Your latest bit of skirt, is she?'

'What are you doing here?' Joey frowned at him crossing his arms over his chest and ignoring his question.

'I've been calling you' Derek said to him.

'Perks of a mobile phone is you can reject calls when you don't want to talk to people' Joey replied.

This time Derek ignored Joey's comment 'I've got a job for you'

'I'm not interested' Joey said quickly, shaking his head.

'Hear me out, will you?' Derek frowned at him. 'It's for you and your…boys' he frowned not sure what to call Joey's stripper friends.

'We can get our own jobs, thanks' Joey replied.

'It pays well, it's for a friend of a friend's daughter' Derek continued. 'She wants a little entertainment for her engagement party in a couple of months' time' he said standing up and pulling an envelope out of his pocket, he crossed over to Joey and held it out to him. 'Come on take it' he said when Joey made no move to uncross his arms. 'It's kosher' he told him 'big payers too. If you don't believe me, google her father. He's a big business man, makes a lot of money in the corporate finance world' Derek said. Joey sighed, unfolding his arms and taking the envelope. 'Your mother says hello, by the way. Wouldn't mind a visit from you on occasion' he said to him. He jumped when he felt something brush up against his leg. He looked down to see a kitten and he smiled, bending down to pick it up 'Hello you' he said softly smiling 'oh, look at you, you are so tiny…' he stood upright, cradling the kitten carefully in his hands, he looked at Joey in surprise. 'You got a pet?' he asked him.

'Looks like it' Joey said, not giving his father inch.

'Do you remember the old tom cat we had…you must've been about 2 when it got run over' he frowned, 'you cried for three days straight. Your mother and I thought we were going to have to go out and try and find one that looked exactly like him in the shelters…but four days later you were over it. Do you remember Ginger?' Joey shook his head. 'So what's this little one called?' he said gazing at the kitten 'you are so pretty aren't you, hey?' he cooed at it.

'She doesn't have a name yet' Joey said to him.

'How long have you had her?' Derek asked him

'Three weeks' Joey replied, surprised to see how gentle Derek was being with the kitten.

'You need to give her a name or she won't come when you call her' Derek said 'You teach her her name by using it every time you talk to her and when she comes to you when you call her, give her a treat' he said and he scratched the kitten's ear before handing her over to Joey. He smiled at his son. 'Well I'd better go. Your mother's waiting for me' he told Joey.

'Tell her I'll see her soon' Joey said.

'Of course' Derek nodded his head as he walked to the door and opened it, he stepped through and then paused. 'I'm sorry I interrupted things earlier. I hope I haven't scared her off?'

'She's getting her bag from the car' Joey said, walking up behind his dad.

'Maybe you can bring her with you when you visit?'

'The kitten?' Joey frowned at him confused.

'The girl' Derek said rolling his eyes as he walked down the steps.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Five minutes after Derek left, Joey heard a timid knock on the door. He opened it and found Lauren standing there, green leaves adorning her hair. He frowned as he reached out and picked them out of her hair. 'What happened to you?' he asked her with an amused smile.

'I hid in the bushes when Derek came out' Lauren said with a sheepish grin. Joey smiled and opened the door wider for her and she stepped inside, he closed it behind her. 'Well you look like you're in one piece' she said, noting he was holding the kitten again.

'Yeah, Turns out he might have lined up a job for me and the boys' he said walking to the sofa and sitting down, the kitten curled up in his lap. Lauren followed him, sitting beside him

'Job? Boys?' she questioned him with a frown.

'Another one of the things we need to talk about' he told her.

'Well then I guess we should start talking' she replied with a sigh, she placed her bag on the floor by her feet.

 **AN: Well Derek didn;t seem as bad as Joey made him out to be...and the kitten seemed to like him too! I wonder how this talk is going to go...back tomorrow. DOnt forget to leave me a review.**


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter Seventy-two**

Joey looked at her and nodded his head. 'Yeah I guess we should' he said. The kitten wriggled in his arms and he let her go. She jumped down onto the sofa between the pair and hissed at Lauren, all the fur on her back stood on end and her little furry tail all puffed up. She glared at Lauren for a bit and then jumped off the sofa and sauntered towards the kitchen.

'I guess your cat doesn't like me' Lauren said with a frown, thinking that the feeling was mutual.

'She's not used to you that's all' he told her 'once she sees you around here more often she'll get used to you' he said, thinking about how she'd been when Derek picked her up, she was all purrs and cuteness then. Maybe Lauren had a point, maybe his new addition didn't like her.

'You have to give her a name' Lauren said 'you can't keep her nameless'

'I know, dad said the same, I guess we'll need to come up with a name for her' Joey nodded his head.

Lauren thought of a name of two for the little fur ball but kept them to herself as she didn't think those were the unique and unusual names Joey had in mind. 'So…this list of things you want to talk about?' she changed the subject.

'How about I make us a coffee first?' he suggested, pushing himself up off the sofa and disappearing into the kitchen, in a weak attempt to put off the inevitable.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Ten minutes later they were both seated on the sofa again, Joey's coffee on the table by the arm of the sofa and Lauren cradling hers in her hands. 'So…' she prompted Joey after he made no attempt to speak. 'You wanted to talk?' she asked him.

'Yeah…I guess there are a few things we need to talk about' he said to her. 'I'm not sure where to start' he admitted.

'Okay…how about you start with why you suddenly showed up last night' she said.

Joey took a deep breath and nodded his head 'I spent a lot of time thinking about Mel, the baby, what you did' he said 'and I realised your actions weren't meant to be malicious, you were just looking out for me' Lauren nodded her head in agreement 'I mean when I really think about it I should've realised she was lying…certain things didn't really add up' he said to her. 'She was the only girl I've slept with since you' he added quickly glancing up at her. Lauren kept her face impassive so he had no clue as to what she was thinking 'I don't really remember much about that night…there was a lot of scotch that much I do remember. I'd just come back from Hawaii, having realised I'd lost everything again. The bar, my home, my friends, you' he said 'and I was just feeling sorry for myself. Going out and getting drunk seemed like a good idea at the time. My dad was on my back about me moving back home and working for him which is something I really didn't want to do. I still don't' he said 'and then a few months' on Mel told me she was pregnant and that the baby was mine and I had a future again. And when she admitted she lied I had nothing again. I'm 25 years old and I have no clue about what I want to do with the rest of my life. I miss Hawaii' he admitted to her 'I miss the sun, sand and sea. I miss my friends and working in the bar'

'Can you rebuild?' Lauren asked him.

'I looked into it but the insurance for building that close to the sea has gone through the roof. I'd barely break even' he told her 'I mean I wasn't making money hand over fist there, just enough to live on and put a little away each month. It helped that the locals let me eat for free' he licked his lips 'I could rebuild somewhere else but I kind of liked the bar where it was, who else has views like that where they work?' he asked her. 'I've kept in touch with some of my friends there and they say tourism has dropped. I guess no one wants to visit a place where there's no hotel, bars or restaurants and there's a risk of another tsunami' he said softly 'and I feel guilty because I came back to London to start over and they can't. I feel like I've let them down. I feel like I should be doing something to help them but I don't know what' he frowned 'at least you did something. You helped with the clean-up effort, reunited families that were torn apart in the tsunami.'

'I was looking for you' she reminded him 'that was the only reason I went out there'

'But you still helped' he told her 'I did nothing'

'So if you do go back to Hawaii what will you do when you get there?' she asked him. 'Where will you live?'

'I don't know' he shrugged 'I haven't exactly figured everything out yet' he told her.

Lauren took a deep breath 'well it sounds to me as though you have some more thinking to do and some big decisions to make' she said to him 'and maybe getting involved with me again isn't going to help you with that'

Joey looked up at her, knowing that she was right. 'I missed you' he told her 'Since that day you walked into my life…I haven't been able to stop thinking about you' he admitted. 'I hate being apart from you' he looked down at his hands, Lauren sat forward and put her cup down on the floor by the arm of the sofa and she shifted closer to Joey.

'Me too' she told him 'but maybe we're not meant to be together' she said to him.

Joey shook his head 'I don't believe that' he told her firmly 'we seem to keep bumping into each other when we least expect it' he told her. 'In Hawaii, here…' he trailed off 'I know I hurt you…a lot and I'm really sorry'

'I know you are' she smiled at him softly.

'I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me or trust me again after everything I've done'

'I love you' she said simply 'I know you've been hurt before, by Sarah and then Mel, but not all girls are like that, Joey. We're not all bitches' she told him. 'And I meant what I said when we first met. Good guys don't always finish last. In fact, that's why Mel picked you'

'Because I have "mug" written across my forehead?' he asked her

'No, because you're a nice guy' Lauren replied softly.

 **AN:Thanks for all your reviews. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review.**


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter Seventy-Three**

Joey sighed, sitting up to grab his coffee, taking a sip he realised it was cold. 'Ergh! I'll go make some more' he told her, getting up.

'I'm not actually thirsty' she said reaching out and taking his hand 'just talk to me' she looked up at him. He held her gaze for a moment and then sat down again, placing his cup back on the table.

'I just feel as though I don't know where my life is going' he told her.

'Welcome to my world. I'm 24 years old and I still live with my parents. I don't seem to be able to hold down a steady job of any kind. I can't get the job I would actually like to do and the degree I took in art seems to have been a complete waste of three years of my life. My taste in men is laughable…' Joey raised his eyebrows at her 'present company notwithstanding' Lauren added quickly. 'What I'm trying to say is… I have no idea where my life is going either, and I bet all the people out there think the same too. I mean take Lucy, for example. Do you think she dreamed of working in a café when she was little? No, she wanted to be a fashion designer or model. But instead she's serving greasy breakfasts to a bunch of people she sees every day and even though she complains about how badly her life sucks she's not doing anything about it' she told him 'I'm pretty sure my dad didn't plan to get my mum pregnant at 18 and end up getting married. Life sometimes gets in the way of life. I could've married Stuart and I'd be stuck in a relationship that wasn't going anywhere. I might have stuck at it for a while, maybe even popped out a couple of kids and been unhappy for the rest of my life. Just like you could've gone ahead with the wedding and married Sarah, and always have that nagging feeling at the back of your mind she was cheating on you. But we didn't. We didn't settle for the path we were being taken down. We chose something different. And yes, okay. I'm broke and living with my parents but for the most part, I'm happy. Can you say the same for Lucy or anyone else that just followed the path they were heading down? What about you? Are you happy?' she asked him.

Joey thought about her question for a few moments and he nodded his head. 'Yes, I suppose I am' he said with a small smile. 'You talk a lot of sense for someone your age' he said.

'My dad gives good advice' she told him 'he's always told me and Abi to follow our hearts not our head and that's what we do. My head was telling me to marry Stuart. My heart was telling me to run and dad knew that. And me running out on my wedding meant that you and I met. That has to be fate right? You and I were destined to meet?' she asked him.

'I'm not sure I believe in all that fate stuff' he admitted to her 'mum and Al do' he scratched his chin.

'Well… I saved you from bringing up another man's child as your own, isn't that fate?' she asked him.

Joey looked at her 'I don't know, maybe' he said with a shrug. He leant his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. 'Maybe just luck…'

'Luck, karma, fate. They're all the same thing, babe' Lauren said with a smile. Joey opened one eye to look at her and couldn't help but smile at the smug look on her face. 'Look I'm not saying I have all the answers, Joey, far from it. But I'd like to help to you work them out. We've been thrown together for a reason'

Joey nodded his head. 'Okay, let's say you're right. And "fate" has brought us together' he said doing air quote with his fingers 'what would happen if I decided that I wanted to go back to Hawaii?' he asked her. 'What would you do then?'

'Well, I guess if you didn't want me to come with you then you've answered one of your questions' she said to him.

'You'd come with me?' he sat upright and looked at her in surprise.

'If you asked me to' she nodded her head 'and paid for my flight' she added with a grin.

'You'd do that? Give up your life here to start a new one with me in Hawaii?'

'Yes' she nodded her head. Joey blinked as he processed this piece of information. For some reason what she'd said had been the last thing he'd expected her to say.

'You wouldn't want to stay with your family, with your friends?' he asked her

'I'd miss them, of course I would' she said softly 'but I can call them on the phone and there's skype and email and I'm pretty sure they'd be relieved not to have me moping around the house anymore' she told him with a smile. 'Plus maybe a change of scene would be good. A fresh start'

'And what if I decided to stay in London?' he asked her.

'You'd still pay for my flight to Hawaii though, right?' she deadpanned. Joey blinked at her and he nodded his head.

'Sure if that's where you wanted to go' he told her, feeling disappointed she didn't want to stay with her.

She grinned at him 'you're an idiot sometimes' she said nudging him with her shoulder 'if you choose to stay in London then that's where I'll be too' she told him. 'What will you do here?' she asked him.

'I've been working with the boys again' he said 'not full time or anything just a gig here and there but…' he trailed off. 'But…they've asked me to go back full time' he said to her.

'Really?' she asked him 'and that's what you want to do? Stripping?' she asked him.

'It's all I'm really good at. That and bar work and I don't want to work for someone else'

'Then open your own bar' Lauren said to him.

'It's not as simple as that, it takes money. More money than I have and I can't get a loan because I don't have a job so…all I'm left with is stripping' he said to her.

'Isn't is degrading?' Lauren asked him with a frown 'Taking your clothes off in front of a hoard of screaming middle aged woman who are having a midlife crisis?' she asked him.

'You've had one bad experience with a stripper and I have to tell you not all strippers are like that babe. You should really come to a gig' he told her 'we have one next weekend' he suggested. 'You can meet the boys'

'Maybe some other time' she said to him softly.

'I'll hold you to that' he said with a smile. 'It's really not as bad as you think' he told her softly 'we're not tacky. The show isn't tacky'

'Well for now I'll have to take your word for that, won't I?' she asked him softly

'You should come with Lucy and Whitney. I can get you tickets' he said to her.

'I'll think about it' she promised him, looking down at her hands briefly before looking up at him. 'So is that everything you wanted to talk about?' she asked him.

'Well, there is one other thing' he said to her, she nodded her head for him to continue. 'Us' he said.

'What about us?' she asked him.

'Firstly…is there an us, or did I make a complete and total prat of myself last night?' he asked her.

'I would've thought the fact I'm here with a weekend bag would've answered that question or you already. Not to mention the fact we were having sex on your dining table until your dad interrupted us' she said to him. 'I'm not the kind of girl who just goes around sleeping with guys' she said to him. 'I'm not into one-night stands either and I don't cheat' she told him firmly 'nor do I throw around the words "I love you" at the drop of a hat' she frowned at him. 'The only other guy I've said I love you to was Stuart' she said 'and I was going to marry him'

'Was that a very weirdly worded proposal of marriage?' Joey asked her, with a smirk.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter Seventy-Four**

Lauren blinked, shaking her head 'No. It wasn't. I think it's a little early in …whatever it is we're doing…to even be considering marriage' Lauren told me 'we've both had our fingers burned before' she reminded him. Joey nodded his head

'So what happens now?' he asked her.

Lauren chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about what to say to him, how to answer his question. She decided to turn it around on him 'what do you want to happen now?' Joey fell quiet as he thought about her question, Lauren took his silence as a bad sign. She already knew what she wanted to happen but wanted to know if Joey was thinking along the same lines as her. She'd already told him she'd move to Hawaii with him if he asked her too and she saw the surprised expression on his face as she'd said that to him. She got up off the sofa, walked to the door and stooped down, picking her bag up, hooking the bag over her shoulder. 'When you've figured out the answer to that question, maybe you can give me a call' she said quietly.

'Where are you going?' Joey frowned as she opened the door.

'Home' she replied.

Joey got up, rushing over to the door and he pushed it shut, standing behind her. 'I don't want to you to leave' he told her honestly. 'I asked you to spend the weekend with me because I wanted to be with you' he said softly. 'Stay…please?' he asked her. Lauren sighed and she turned around to look at him.

'Why?' she asked him 'what do you want from me, Joey?' she asked him 'because if it's just sex…'

'It isn't' he said softly, reaching out to cup her face in his hands 'I'm in love with you. I want to be with you. I want to be with the girl that I met in Hawaii' he told her.

'I'm not that girl anymore, Joey' she whispered trying to pull her face free from his hands, but he held her in place.

'So you said, but I don't think that's true' he said softly 'Sometimes I see a glimpse of the girl I knew' he told her with a smile 'she's still in there somewhere' he stared into her eyes 'can I ask you something?' Lauren nodded her head once 'after everything you saw and experienced in Hawaii, why would you even consider going back there?' he asked her.

'To be with you' she told him honestly.

Joey blinked at her and smiled 'That's all I want too' he told her 'to be with you. I just don't know where that's going to be'

'We don't have to figure out everything all at once' Lauren said softly with a shake of her head.

'No, I guess we don't' he said moving forward and pressing a soft kiss to her lips before pulling back and smiling at her. A little meow and the patter of feet across the floor broke the moment and they both glanced down to look at the little bundle of fur that was looking up at Joey with her big blue eyes, little bits of toilet paper stuck in her fur. He smiled and bent down to pick her up 'what have you been up to, hey? Have you been wreaking havoc in the bathroom?' he asked her knowingly 'I thought I shut the door' he said with a frown. 'Well, let's go and see what you've done and we can also give Lauren a tour of the flat at the same time, can't we?' he said and he looked up at Lauren. She smiled at him.

'That sounds like a plan' she replied.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were back on the sofa, the kitten left in the kitchen. Lauren leaning against Joey and his arm wrapped around her shoulders. 'So do you think your dad is going to be okay when you go home after this weekend and tell him that I'm your boyfriend?' Joey asked her.

'He's going to have his reservations' she admitted 'and no doubt I'm going to get another lecture about poor decision making' she said 'nothing I haven't heard before, but he'll come around eventually' she said to him with a smile 'at the end of the day all he and mum want is for me to be happy and when they see how happy I am with you, they'll be okay' she said with a smile and she looked up at him. 'What about your parents? I take it things with your dad didn't go as bad as you thought they were going to? I mean he offered you and your…friends a job didn't he?' she asked him.

Joey nodded his head 'it's just the way he shows up unannounced like that' he frowned 'like he is checking up on me all the time'

'I remember you telling me in Hawaii that you avoided his phone-calls. I guess with you being so far away he couldn't just come over and see you' she said to him.

'Whereas now he can. I'm really sorry he just barged in like that while we were…' he licked his lips 'I should've locked the door' he told her.

'Meeting him again isn't going to be in the least bit embarrassing' she said as her cheeks pinked slightly.

'Speaking of meeting him again, he mentioned that I was long overdue a visit to my mum and he suggested I bring you with me' he said watching her face for a reaction.

'Can I use the "it's a little too early card" again?' she asked him. Joey smiled with a nod of his head.

'I think that's fair' he said.

'Maybe you should talk to your dad about your future? I mean jobwise…he might be supportive if you gave him a chance' she said.

'Maybe' he said thoughtfully, 'we'll see. So what do you want to do tonight? We could go out to dinner, maybe see a movie?'

'How about we order a takeaway and have a night in and you can tell me what your ideal bar would be like and I could sketch it for you?'

'You have a deal, babe' Joey said leaning forward to kiss her.

 **AN: Thank you for your review for TNT! Back tomorrow dont forget to leave me a review.**


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy-Five**

The two of them spent an enjoyable evening together talking and getting to know each other again. Joey glanced at his watch. 'It's nearly 1:00am' he said in surprise. 'I guess time really does fly when you're having fun' he added with a smile. 'We should go to bed' he told her. Lauren nodded, putting the drawing she'd done down on the table and got up with a stretch. 'You go on through I need to lock up and make sure the kitten has some food and stuff' he told her. Lauren nodded her head again and disappeared down the hallway to the bedroom, where she'd stashed her bag earlier. She frowned as she discovered the kitten was curled up asleep on it. She bent down and picked her up and then dropped her quickly on the floor.

Shoo!' she ushered it out of the bedroom and the kitten turned and hissed at Lauren before it scurried off down the hall. 'Bloody cat' she mumbled under her breath. She picked up her bag and walked out of the bedroom, making sure the door was shut behind her and went into the bathroom. She closed the toilet seat, putting her bag down on top of it and unzipped it. She pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste cleaned her teeth, once she was done she removed her make-up. When her face was clean she undressed and put on the baggy t-shirt she slept in. She ran a brush through her hair, tucking the brush back into her bag when she'd finished. She picked up the bag and left the bathroom, making her way back to the bedroom. She paused outside the door for a few seconds, hearing movement inside, before she opened the door and stepped inside. Joey turned to look at her, having just taken his shirt off. She licked her lips and swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous, which was ridiculous because she and Joey had had sex before, not that she was expecting sex and it was okay if Joey didn't want sex either...but for some reason this felt new. Maybe it was the change in their relationship status, she wasn't sure. Joey smiled at her sensing her nervousness. He held his hand out towards her. Lauren smiled back, closing the bedroom door behind her and walking over to him. He took the bag off her shoulder and dropped it the floor at her feet. 'You won't be needing that' he told her as his hands swept into her hair, he pulled her into a soft tender kiss. 'You won't be needing this either' he said moving his hands to the bottom of her t-shirt and pulling it up over her head and dropped it onto her bag. 'That's much better' he said as he turned them both so that Lauren's back was facing the bed. She smiled up at him, slowly moving her hands to the front of his jeans and undoing them, pushing them and his boxer shorts over his hips and down his legs. Joey stepped out of them and Lauren took his hands and drew him back onto the bed.

Joey smiled at her as she wrapped her legs around him and then rolled them both so she was astride him. His hands slid up her thighs to her hips and he squeezed gently.

Lauren ran her hands over his stomach, feeling the muscles twitch beneath her finger tips, she trailed her hands higher, up over his torso, until she reached his shoulders. She leant forward and bent her head, placing small open mouthed kisses on his neck. She took his earlobe into his mouth and sucked on it gently, causing Joey to give a soft moan. She could feel his erection growing beneath where she sat. She moved her lips to his, giving him soft playful kisses, pulling away from him as he tried to deepen them. She giggled as he growled at her and rolled them so she was beneath him. Her hands moved to his shoulders and Joey held her gaze as he slowly slid inside her.

'Joe….' She murmured as he deliberately kept his movements slow, almost lazy.

'Not so fond of the teasing now, are you?' he asked her softly. Lauren shook her head, pulling his head down to hers into a kiss, her hips thrust upwards to meet his downward thrust and he groaned deep in his throat.

'Please….please…' she begged him. Joey took pity on her, mainly because he was feeling as horny as she was and he began to pump into her harder and faster.

For a few moments it was as if they were back in Hawaii… in those first few days after they'd met when it had just been about passion, lust and enjoying being together. None of the tension that had been so present in their relationship over the last few months – or even ever since Lauren had left Hawaii – was noticeable. They were back to the heady love and desire and both were enjoying what they were doing… neither of them wanted it end.

Lauren arched her back off the bed as she felt her orgasm building, her fingers dug into the flesh in his back and her thighs tightened at his hips. 'Ah! Joey!' she whimpered 'Joey! Joey!' Joey added a little twist to his hips and Lauren came apart beneath him, crying out his name over and over. Feeling her contract around him triggered his own release and he came hard. Her name falling from his lips.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Sated and sleepy, Joey kissed the top of Lauren's head as he gathered her close to him and she snuggled up against him, her eyes were already shut. 'Love you' he whispered softly.

'Love you too' she whispered back.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow dont forget to leave me a review xx**


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter Seventy-Six**

Max was waiting for Lauren when she returned home Monday morning. He leapt up from the sofa as he heard her key in the door and grabbed his suit jacket and pulled it on. He grabbed his files off the coffee table and stepped out into the hallway as Lauren came in. 'Oh…hey…I was just getting some paperwork' he said holding up the files.

'Mmhmm' Lauren murmured 'a likely story' Max knew she'd seen through his lies.

'Alright, I was worried okay' he said to her 'I wanted to be here when you go home in case things with Joey didn't go the way you'd hoped they'd go this weekend' he said to her 'How did you hope they'd go?' he asked her.

'Exactly the way they did' she said shutting the door behind her, she dropped her bag at the bottom of the stairs, shrugged off her coat and walked through to the kitchen, smiling to herself as she heard her father follow her.

'And that was?' he pressed.

She filled the kettle with water and got two cups out, spooning coffee into both of them 'Can you get the milk please, dad?' she asked him. She heard the fridge door open and close and then milk appeared beside her. 'Thanks' Neither of them spoke again until Lauren had made the coffee and put it on the kitchen table, she pulled out a chair and sat down, she gestured for him to join her. 'Joey and I are together' she said once her dad was seated.

'And what does that mean?' he asked her.

'He's my boyfriend' she smiled 'and yes we had a really good…great weekend' she told him. 'We talked. A lot. About the future, what we both wanted. We watched movies, had meals you know the usual' she said. 'And he has a cat…well a kitten and she's mean. She hisses at me and scratches me' Lauren told him with a slight frown 'Joey hasn't named her yet, but I have a few choice names for her. Satan Spawn being top of the list'

Max sighed 'you never were a cat person' he told her 'you preferred dogs as a little girl, you were alaways nagging me and your mum for a puppy' Max looked at her 'you look happy' he noted.

'I am' she nodded her head. 'Joey's the one, dad. I know it' she beamed at him.

'The one what?' Max frowned confused.

'The one' she said 'you know what I mean' she told him 'he's my forever man' she giggled as she said the last words. Max blinked at her and then he was laughing with her.

'You used to ask your mum about your forever man when you were little' he said with a smile as he remembered. 'I remember her coming downstairs after she'd put you to bed one night and she said you'd asked her when you would find your forever man like she had with me' he licked his lips 'and that's Joey is it?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded her head 'yeah, dad it is' she told him 'I just know it'

'I guess me and your mum better start saving for your wedding then, hey?' he asked her half-seriously.

'Yeah I guess you should' she grinned at him.

'So when do we officially get to meet him then?' he asked her.

'Soon' she said. 'Promise' she told him with a smile.

'It's good to see you happy again, sweetheart and if Joey has had something to do with this then I'm pleased. Doesn't mean he's off the hook with me entirely. There's still some choice words I'll be having with him when we do officially meet him' he warned her.

'He's expecting that' Lauren told him 'and he said he deserves it and will answer any questions you might have for him'

Max looked impressed 'he sounds like a nice sensible young man' he told her as someone knocked on the door. 'Oh, that's probably Lucy for you, she came over Saturday, apparently she'd been trying to call you but you weren't picking up.'

'Joey and I turned off our phones so we could talk without any interruptions' she explained as she got up 'his dad interrupting us when we were having se…serious conversations about things was a bit of a…I'd better answer the door' she hurried out of the room, her cheeks red as she realised her almost slip up. 'Hey, Lucy come on in' she said cheerily 'dad was just going to work, weren't you, dad?' she called out. Max had followed her out of the kitchen, his files in his arms again.

'Don't think this conversation is over just because Lucy is here, young lady' he told her with a mock serious tone.

'Yes dad' she said with a smile, reaching up to kiss his cheek. 'Have a good day at work' she told him. Max walked out of the house and Lucy went in. Lauren closed the door behind her. Max shook his head with a smile as he walked to the car lot.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Where the fuck have you been all weekend?' Lucy frowned following Lauren into the kitchen. 'You just disappeared from the Vic and I haven't seen you since! I called you and left you about a gazillion messages! Where have you been?' she asked again.

'With Joey' Lauren said with a smile.

'Joey? Joey Joey? Hawaii Joey?' Lucy said.

Lauren grinned and nodded her head 'Yep, and please don't call him Hawaii Joey' she said to her friend.

'He stuck around after he punched Marcus in the face?'

'Oh! I'd forgotten about that' Lauren exclaimed 'what happened after I left the pub?' she asked.

'Well, Whitney and I were talking about coming over to yours to see if you were okay, Whitney was pissed at me because she claims I pushed her out of the way as she was trying to get to you when Marcus was being a dick and I really wasn't…we just sort of bumped into each other….'

'With Marcus!' Lauren snapped 'not you and Whit' she rolled her eyes.

'Oh…well, he was out cold for a few minutes. When he came to he wanted to know who'd hit him. Whitney said it was you and he looked really surprised. He had a bloody nose and he's now sporting two black eyes… the next time you see him he may act a little jumpy around you' she grinned at her 'so what happened after you and Joey left?' Lucy asked her expectantly 'I mean was there more kissing… that was some kiss he gave you in the Vic, he was all like Richard Gere in "An Officer and A Gentleman" swooping into save you like that…' she said 'it was so romantic… and he punched Marcus…there was more kissing right?

'There was more than kissing' Lauren nodded her head with a grin 'twice'

Lucy's mouth fell open 'you great big slut!' she exclaimed.

'And then we spent the weekend together and we talked, really talked'

'Was there more sex?' Lucy asked narrowing her eyes at her suspiciously.

'There might have been' Lauren said coyly.

'When are you seeing him again?' Lucy asked

'Not until Wednesday night' Lauren said a little sadly 'he has something's he needs to do'

Lucy nodded her head 'so you two are officially together now?'

'Yep' she grinned 'we are'

'Finally!' Lucy exclaimed rolling her eyes 'Whit and I thought you two were never going to get together. We were trying to work out ways to get you two to "bump" into each other. All we could figure out was this' she said reaching into her purse and pulling out a flyer. She put it on the table and slid it over to Lauren.

'What's this?'

'Mine and Whitney's pretty impressive plan' Lucy said with a grin. Lauren opened the leaflet and saw it was for a male strip show called Adonis.

'Strippers?' Lauren frowned not understanding.

'Take a closer look at the picture. The guy in the middle' Lucy said with a sigh.

Lauren stared at the flyer, taking her time looking at each of the men in the picture, stopping when she came to the one in the middle. 'Oh!' she exclaimed.

'Penny dropped has it?' she said. 'We have tickets for this weekend' Lucy told her 'and they're non-refundable so you're going'

'Okay' Lauren said softly still staring at the leaflet.

'What part of non-refundable do you not underst…what?' Lucy frowned, clearly not expecting Lauren to agree so easily.

'I said okay' Lauren said, handing the flyer back to Lauren.

'Oh! That was easier than I thought it was going to be, I had a whole speech planned out' Lucy said in surprise. 'I can't wait to tell Whit you said yes. We're going to have a great time' she grinned. 'I can't wait. I get to see your boyfriend naked and I won't get into any trouble for it' she said pushing back her chair as she stood up. I'll see you later, Lauren' she called out as she darted to the door.

Lauren frowned. Naked? Joey wasn't going to strip naked, was he? Not that she minded if he did. She just didn't want Lucy or Whitney to see what she got to see as his girlfriend. Or any other girls for that matter. Her frown deepened. Okay scrap that. She minded a lot.

 **AN: Thanks for all your review for TNT. Back tomorrow dont forget to leave me a review.**


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter Seventy-Seven**

Wednesday night arrived and Lauren was once again a little nervous about going on a date with Joey. They'd sort of been on dates in Hawaii so she didn't know why she was making a big deal about it now. She was anxious as she waited for him, pacing the floor and checking her reflection in the mirror in the lounge and wiping off imaginary mascara smudges from under her eyes.

'Will you calm down, you're making me feel nervous' Max said. Lauren met his eyes in the mirror and he winked at her. 'You look gorgeous babe' he told her.

'Thanks dad'' she said softly, turning to look at him.

'So where is he taking you tonight?' he asked her.

'Not sure' she said 'he said it was a surprise'

'Does he know you don't like surprises?' Max asked her with a smile.

'I'm sure whatever he's arranged I will love it' she told him. They heard a car horn outside.

'Doesn't he come to the door?' Tanya frowned as she came into the room from the kitchen.

'I told him to hoot' Lauren said 'I'm not ready for him to meet you yet' she told her dad 'Okay I'm off' she smiled at them, dashing towards the door.

'Are you coming home tonight?' Max called from the sofa as Tanya followed Lauren to the door, in the hopes of getting a peek at Joey.

'Not if I play my cards right' Lauren replied quietly.

'Oi! I heard that' Max called back as Lauren giggled.

'Night dad' she said opening the front door and stepping out, she tried to pull the door shut behind her but her mother was in the way. 'Mum!' she exclaimed. 'What are you doing?!' she hissed at her

'Just seeing if I can sneak a peek' she said to her.

'Oh my god! Could you be any more embarrassing? You've already met Joey remember? Stop it and go back inside' she told her mother as she skipped down the steps.

'Maybe I should come over…'Tanya said 'just say hello' she said 'I mean we've not actually met face to face officially, I've just talked to him on the phone and seen him in passing…'

Lauren stopped halfway to the car, much to Joey's amusement. 'Get inside the house, right now' Lauren said pointing towards the door. Tanya pouted as she looked at Lauren.

'Anyone would think you're ashamed of us' she said.

'I am' Lauren hissed at her 'stop making a spectacle of yourself…and me…and get back inside' Lauren couldn't help laughing at her mother's face. She walked over to the car and opened the door, getting in.

'Everything okay?' Joey asked her as she leant over for a kiss.

'Mmhmm…my mother's just being annoying' she told him as she pulled her seatbelt on. She glanced at the house to see both her parents waving at her from the step. 'Oh my God, they are so embarrassing' she sank lower into her seat as Joey chuckled.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After half an hour of driving, Lauren glanced at Joey. 'Where are we going?' she asked him.

'A party' he told her.

'Joey! I'm not dressed for a party' she exclaimed, looking down at her clothes. She'd chosen to wear black pants and a casual looking purple top.

'You look great' Joey reassured her. 'Relax' he told her softly. 'Everyone will love you' he assured her.

They drove for another 25 minutes and then he pulled up at some black gates. Lauren took a deep breath, she knew whatever was at the end of the long drive was going to be a very posh looking building. Joey pressed a button on his door and the window whirred down and he reached out and pressed a code into the gate. A few seconds later the gate opened inwards and Joey drove through, glancing once again at Lauren. A few moments later he pulled up outside the house and turned off the engine, climbing out of the car, walking round to Lauren's door and opening it for her. 'Come on then' he held his hand out to her when she made no move to get out of the car. Lauren looked up at him and took his hand, letting him help her out of the car.

'Joey, I'm underdressed' she told him.

'No you're not. You look gorgeous' he told her 'Relax, will you?' he asked her 'it's just a little party, it's not huge' he told her 'you'll fit right in' he smiled at he as he pushed her door shut and locked the car. 'Come on' he tugged on her hand and pulled her towards the door of the house. He opened the door without knocking and walked down the hallway towards the pounding music they could both hear. Lauren swallowed, feeling really nervous about this party and the people she was about to meet. Her dad was right, she really needed to tell Joey she didn't like surprises.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren's eyes darted here and there as she looked at her fellow partygoers. Joey squeezed her hand and she looked up at him and he smiled at her. 'Relax' he told her again.

Lauren nodded and she smiled up at him, despite the tension she felt. Joey led her to a group of four men and two girls. 'Guys…this is Lauren' he introduced her. 'Lauren, this is Brett, Dylan, Shane, Kyle, Susie and Kylie'

'This is Lauren?' the one he introduced as Brett said and Joey nodded his head.

'Well we've heard a lot about you' he grinned at her.

'All good I hope?' Lauren said.

'Of course, doesn't have a bad thing to say about you' Brett told her, causing her to blush a little bit.

'Why don't you stay here and make friends and I'll go get us some drinks' Joey said letting her hand go and walking off with the boys, leaving Lauren with the two girls. Lauren took a deep breath and looked at the two girls who were looking her up and down appraisingly.

'So **_you're_** Joey's girlfriend?' one of them said, Lauren couldn't remember her name, the two girls looked a lot like each other. 'You're not what we expected' she said exchanging glances with her friend.

'And what's that supposed to mean?' Lauren frowned at them both. 'What did you expect exactly?' she asked them both 'someone else who is as fake and shallow as you two clearly are?' Lauren said and she turned and walked away from them both. She looked around for Joey and saw him in the corner which appeared to have a makeshift bar there and she walked over to him. 'Hey' she said softly.

Joey turned and smiled at her 'hey' he said, turning slightly so he could slip his arm around her waist 'everything okay?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' she nodded her head 'thirsty'

'Sorry, babe, we were just talking' he said apologetically 'here' he picked up a glass of white wine and held it out to her.

'Thank you' she took the glass and took a sip although her urge was to down it in one as she glanced around the room once more. She had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy this party at all.

 **AN: WOW Over 2000 reviews TNT! Thank you all so much I am so glad that you like this story! Back tomorrow dont forget to leave me a review.**


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter Seventy-Eight**

After another half an hour she escaped outside to get some fresh air and discovered there was a pool surrounded by sun loungers. She walked over to one and sank down into it with a sigh. 'Party a bit too overwhelming for you too?' someone said. She jumped and turned to see another girl sitting on a pool chair. 'Hi, I'm Amanda, I'm Brett's girlfriend. You don't look like the other bimbo types that the other lads bring to these things, so I'm guessing you're Joey's girlfriend…Lauren, is it?' she asked.

Lauren nodded her head 'yes, I'm Lauren' she told her.

'Joey hasn't shut up about you for months now, I'm glad you two have finally gotten together' she said with a smile 'he's exactly how he described you'

'Dare I ask?' Lauren said tentatively.

'Gorgeous' Amanda replied simply. She noticed Lauren's glass was empty. 'Shall we go inside and get another drink?' she suggested. 'I have a feeling the party is going to be less dull for us both now' she smiled.

Lauren nodded her head and the two girls got up and headed back inside. 'Joey's never mentioned anyone here before' Lauren said 'he didn't even tell me we were going to a party. I would've dressed a little better if I'd known' she looked down self-consciously at her clothes.

'Are you kidding me? You look great' Amanda told her with a smile, leading Lauren over to the bar and fixing them both another drink before leading her to the sofa and they both sat down 'so have you been to watch yet?' she asked.

Lauren frowned 'sorry?'

'Adonis? Have you been to watch them yet?'

'Oh, no. Not yet. Joey's asked me to but I'm really not into strippers…had a bad experience with one on my 18th birthday'

'Don't tell me he gyrated his crotch in your face' she said and Lauren nodded her head.

'Yes he did, it was awful and my friends were just standing there watching and laughing whilst I squirmed with embarrassment and humiliation in my chair' she said, her cheeks turning a little bit pink as she thought about it.

'The boys aren't anything like that' Amanda said with a kind smile, 'mainly they stay on the stage for their gig. Have you seen the film Magic Mike?' she asked her. Lauren shook her head. 'Well you should, their gigs are very much like that'

'So you go to watch?' Lauren asked her.

'All the time' Amanda nodded her head. 'I help out backstage with costume changes. Not that there's actually all that much to most of their costumes' she added with a smirk.

'So you see…them all naked?' Lauren asked her, her eyes moved to Joey who was laughing with the boys.

'I see but I don't look if you know what I mean' she said with a laugh 'the shows are tasteful, they don't always do the Full Monty…' she looked sideways at Lauren 'you know what the Full Monty is right?'

'When they strip naked? Yeah Joey said something about that' she said softly. Lauren took a deep breath and she let it out slowly 'they do the Full Monty?'

'Sometimes yeah' Amanda said.

'Even Joey?' Lauren asked her.

'Even Joey' she nodded her head. Lauren licked her lips and looked Joey again. 'He's told you something different, hasn't he?' she asked.

'Yes. He has' Lauren said, sounding a little annoyed. She sighed and turned to Amanda, shifting on the sofa to look at her. 'I mean he told me he didn't strip naked anymore…when we were in Hawaii, I just assumed now that he's back in the group, he still wasn't stripping naked...I mean…he never really said either way' Lauren told her and she took a deep breath, her eyes focused on Joey 'how do you cope with it? You know, with other girls seeing your boyfriend naked?'

'It was hard at first' Amanda admitted 'I was as jealous as hell, we got into a fair few fights about him blatantly flirting with other girls right in front of me. But he told me it was just part of the act, the girls who were at the gigs paid good money to see a good show and a little flirting was all part of the act. He told me the other girls only got to look, I was the one who got to touch' she said with a smile. 'You should come to a gig. See Joey in action'

'My friends have got tickets for this weekend and they're planning on dragging me along. Lucy made a comment about how she'd get to see my boyfriend naked and not get into trouble for it' she pulled a face as she thought about it. 'I really don't want Lucy to ee hikm how I get to see him and when I think about it I'm not really sure how I feel about other girls...complete strangers... seeing him naked or even partially naked' she admitted.

'Have you spoken to Joey about it?' Amanda asked her.

'No, we haven't really talked about it' Lauren shook her head, 'And besides, what would I say? I can't tell him not to do it. I would never ask him to give up something he enjoys doing because I didn't like it, and anyway, we haven't really been together for very long…'

Amanda nodded in understanding 'maybe you should go to the gig on Saturday, see how you feel afterwards and if it's still bothering you then you should talk to him about it'

'Yeah, maybe' Lauren nodded her head, taking a sip of wine. 'Listen, don't tell Joey or anyone I'm considering going, okay?' she said to her 'I'm not sure I'll be able to sit the whole way through'

'Your secret's safe with me' she smiled at Lauren.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The party had started to wind down and some of the guests had gone. Leaving Joey and the boys, Amanda and Lauren. The boys came over to the girls 'Ah, I see you've met my gorgeous girlfriend' Brett said, taking a seat next to Amanda on the sofa, he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

'Yes, I have' Lauren nodded her head as someone sat beside her. She turned to look at him, a small frown formed on her face 'oh wait, I know you…' Lauren said 'you look vaguely familiar. You were the one that brought me to the this party...It's…Joey isn't it?' she frowned as she pretended to try and remember his name. The boys roared with laughter.

'See I told you you'd be in trouble!' Brett grinned at him. He'd only met Lauren for the first time tonight, but he liked her. She was feisty, she'd keep Joey on his toes.

'I'm sorry I abandoned you tonight, babe. I was just talking shop with the boys' he told her 'I'll make it up to you later' he lowered his voice to a whisper.

'And how do you propose to do that exactly?' Lauren asked, Joey moved forward and whispered in her ear. She raised her eyebrows. 'Go on…' she said and he whispered something else. She grinned as her cheeks turned red 'that'll do it' she told him.

'In that case, are you ready to go home?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head. 'Okay then' he said standing up, taking her hand in his. He took her glass from her and handed it to Kyle. 'If you don't mind, we are going to call it a night' Joey told them all.

'It was nice to meet you' Lauren smiled at them all and she turned to look at Amanda. 'You too'

'Joey has my number, you get it off him and give me a call okay? We can meet for coffee' Amanda smiled at her.

'Thanks, I'd like that' Lauren told her.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey led her out of the house to his car, once they were seated inside he turned to look at her 'on a scale of 1 to 10 how much did you hate that party?'

'About 15 and a half' Lauren said truthfully.

'Ouch!' Joey hissed.

'Until I met Amanda and then it went down to a 9' Lauren smiled at him.

'I'm really sorry I spent so much time with the boys. I was telling them about the gig Derek got for us. The client wants specific things and we were just discussing it' he told her. 'Let's get you home' he said as he started the engine, leaving Lauren's imagination to run wild as she thought about what "specifics" Joey was talking about.

 **AN: Thanks for your review for TNT! Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review. x**


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter Seventy-Nine**

Much to Lauren's disappointment, especially after Joey had whispered in her ear what he was planning to do to make up for abandoning her at the party, Joey drove them back to hers, parking outside her house. She undid her seat belt and opened the car door, moving to get out.

'Aren't you going to invite me in for coffee?' he asked her. Lauren glanced at the house and saw all the lights were off, she knew everyone was already in bed and they wouldn't be interrupted, but she shook her head.

'Not tonight, Joey. I'm tired' she lied. The disappointment would've been evident on his face if she'd turned around to look at him.

'Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?' he asked her softly. Lauren turned in her seat and gave him a quick peck on the lips, moving out of his reach and out of the car before he could even think about deepening the kiss.

'Night, Joey' she whispered softly, closing the car door behind her and running up the steps to the front door. He watched as she unlocked the door, stepped inside and closed it behind her without even a backward glance at him.

Joey frowned, Lauren had been quiet the whole journey home, barely speaking to him, unless he asked her a direct question. She hadn't been off with him, just quieter than normal. He knew he'd pretty much abandoned her as soon as they'd got to the party, but when he'd looked round to see if she was okay, she seemed to be deep in conversation with Amanda, he wondered what the two of them had been talking about. Maybe he should've taken her back to his tonight, as he'd planned to. But he didn't want her to think he just wanted sex. He sighed as he pulled away from the kerb, this wasn't exactly the evening he'd planned when he left to pick her up. They hadn't even agreed on when they would see each other again. He drove home wondering what had changed her mood in the car, and he was still wondering about it as he let himself into the flat. He was greeted by a little bundle of fluff making another escape bid for the outdoors. 'Oh no you don't' he said bending at the waist and catching her mid-jump. She meowed in surprise and looked up at Joey. 'You can't go outside. Ever!' he told her, shutting and locking the door behind him. He held the kitten in one hand. 'We need to give you a name don't we, hey?' he looked at her. 'I think something different, unusual…Maybe something Hawaiian?' The kitten meowed. 'Oh, you like that idea, do you?' he asked her with a smile. 'We'll have to have a think then, won't we, hey?'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren undressed and took off her make-up before climbing into bed. She lay there for over an hour trying to sleep but not being able to. She couldn't stop thinking about what Amanda had said to her about Joey stripping naked and about what the specifics were that the client Joey's dad arranged for them. She was dreading going to see the show on Saturday, even more so if Joey stripped naked. She could just hear the taunts and teasing from Lucy and Whitney…but especially Lucy. She wondered if anyone had recorded the shows and uploaded them on YouTube. Climbing out of bed, she grabbed her laptop from her desk, pulled her robe off the back of her door and crept downstairs as quietly as she could so she didn't wake anyone up.

Lauren shut both doors that led into the lounge, before sitting down at the table. She started up her laptop, and then typed in Adonis Strip Show YouTube into her search engine. She was stunned by the number of videos that appeared on the screen. Taking a deep breath and checking the sound level was low on her laptop she selected a video at random and pressed play. Her eyes fixed on the screen as she watched. The first video was really blurry and she couldn't really see much so she moved onto the next one. This video consisted of all the boys on stage dressed as firemen. Lauren watched as the boys danced and strutted their stuff on the stage. Joey was in the middle of the group and seemed to be getting the loudest screams from the girls, much to her annoyance. The boys could dance, Lauren gave them that, in fact she had no idea Joey could dance like that; she was very impressed. She watched as the boys stripped down to a tiny red thong and the lights went black, Lauren thought that was the end of the show and moved to click on the next video but then suddenly the lights came back on and the boys started to dance again before peeling off their thongs to reveal them all in their naked glory. Lauren couldn't help but stare at the screen. She recognised some of the boys faces from those at the party tonight and she knew the next time she met them she wasn't going to be able to look them in the eyes without going red. The door to the lounge opened and the light was turned on and Lauren screeched in surprise.

'What are you doing up?' Abi asked her, walking towards her and peering at the laptop. Her eyes widened as she saw what Lauren was watching. Lauren slammed the laptop shut and turned to look at Abi. 'Naked men? Why are you looking at naked men?' she frowned at her sister.

'I wasn't' Lauren hissed at her 'mind your own business! She snapped at her as she snatched her laptop off the table top and fled up the stairs.

She got back into bed and lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering why Joey had lied to her about stripping naked when she'd seen with her own eyes that he did. She licked her lips and tried to think of ways she could get out of seeing the show on Saturday night.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review. x**


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter Eighty**

Lauren was sitting on the sofa when her dad got up. He popped his head around the door and saw she looked tired. He was surprised to see her there as he assumed she'd be spending the night at Joey's. He wondered if there was trouble in paradise already. He went into the kitchen and made some coffees and took one through to her. 'Morning' he said softly sitting down next to her. 'Here' he handed her a cup.

'Thanks, dad' she said with a smile.

'Thought you were staying at Joey's tonight' he said softly, deciding to just jump straight in instead of using the softly softly approach.

'Apparently not' Lauren replied with a sigh.

'So when are you seeing him again?' Max asked her.

'Don't know, we didn't make any plans' she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

'Oh' Max raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of coffee.

'Things are fine, dad' she told him 'I'm going to go have a shower' she said, getting up off the sofa and heading up the stairs. Max knew there was something bothering his daughter and he also knew she'd tell him what it was in her own time if she needed to. He got up and went into the kitchen to make the family breakfast.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren left the house an hour later, she had no idea where she was going, just that she needed to go somewhere to think. She discovered the laundrette was empty and she sat down on the wooden bench in the centre. She stared at the washing in the machine in front of her, watching as all the colours merged and blurred into one as it completed a fast wash cycle. The chiming of the bell above the door startled her and she saw Roxy come in with a bag of washing. The older woman stopped, surprised to see someone else there this early. 'Couldn't sleep?' she asked Lauren.

'Something like that' Lauren replied nodding her head. She watched as Roxy loaded her washing into the machine and started it going.

'Want to talk about it?' Roxy asked her. Lauren looked up in surprise and she nodded her head.

'Actually, yeah I do' she said with a small smile.

'Come on then' Roxy walked to the door and opened it, nodding her head to Lauren to follow.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren sat down at the kitchen table in Roxy's flat whilst Roxy made them both a coffee. She sat down at the table with Lauren when she was finished. 'No luck finding a job yet?' she asked her.

Lauren shook her head 'I think I'm unemployable' she told her. 'I've applied for so many jobs and I get nothing back, I've put my CV through doors and nothing comes of it.'

'You should sign on then, at least you'd be getting some money in'

'I know but…signing on makes me feel like a failure' Lauren said to her.

'You're not, you're entitled to the money' Roxy told her. Lauren looked down at her nails and she picked at them. 'You should go sign on. It's nothing to be ashamed about' she told her 'nearly everyone has to do it at some point in their lives' she said.

'I'll think about it' Lauren said truthfully, money would come in handy, she hated her parents giving her handouts.

'So what else is on your mind?' Roxy asked her.

'Lucy and Whitney are insisting I go to strip show on Saturday night and I really don't want to go' Lauren told her.

'What? Why? I've been to a few and I love them!' she grinned at her.

'My boyfriend is in the group' Lauren said to her.

'Your boyfriend's a stripper?' Roxy raised her eyebrows at her.

'He wasn't when I met him. He owned and ran a bar in Hawaii' she explained to her 'he did some stripping gigs on the side but mainly he worked in the bar. Now he's back in London and with no job he's decided to go back into full time stripping'

'And you're not happy about that?' Roxy said.

'I don't want to tell him what to do, but the thought of other girls seeing him the way only I should…' she frowned.

'He strips naked?'

'He said he didn't anymore, but I found video's that say otherwise' Lauren frowned as she remembered the YouTube video she saw.

'Have you talked to him about it?' Roxy asked her.

'No' Lauren shook her head 'he took me to a party last night and left me on my own pretty much as soon as he got there and then when he did come over to see me it was time to go home. His dad has lined them up a private job and he said something about the client wanting specifics…what do you think he meant?' she looked at Roxy questioningly.

'I have no idea. Maybe it's a certain routine or song they want, or it could be they want a solo performance from a particular member of the group…it could be anything' she trailed off. Lauren looked down.

'That's what I'm worried about' she replied.

'I think you should talk to your boyfriend about it, find out exactly what the client wants and tell him how you feel' Roxy suggested to her.

'You don't think I should go to see a show?' Lauren asked.

'Not if you don't want to. Does he want you to?' she looked at her and Lauren nodded.

'Yes, he's mentioned it and Lucy and Whitney only want to go so they can see him naked' she frowned.

'That bothers you quite a bit, doesn't it?' Roxy asked Lauren and she nodded.

'It does, yes' she sighed 'I know I should talk to Joey about it…but…he likes doing it. He's not going to just stop because I don't want him to do it'

'He should at least take your feelings into account.' Roxy said 'I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like it if the shoe were on the other foot' she said with a smile. Lauren picked up her coffee and took a drink.

'Thanks Roxy' Lauren said with a smile.

'I'm not sure I really helped much….' Roxy trailed off with a frown.

'You did, a lot' Lauren replied.

Well, then you're welcome' Roxy replied.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After Lauren left Roxy's, she decided she didn't want to go home, she wanted to go somewhere to think some more. So she headed for the tube station, thankful her dad had renewed her Oyster card for her. As she rode the trains she thought about what Roxy had told her. She knew she was right, she really needed to talk to Joey. But she didn't want to come across as one of those girlfriends who told their boyfriends what to do. Also there was the fact that their "relationship" was very new and she didn't want to rock the boat. Lauren was beginning to see a different side to the Joey she knew in Hawaii, and she knew she would have to get to know this Joey too. Maybe out of the Hawaii bubble they weren't actually compatible as a couple. Yes, the sex was good, well better than good, it was fantastic, Lauren thought with a smile, but sex didn't make a relationship. Lauren needed to figure out a way to broach the subject with Joey without letting on she didn't want him to strip anymore. As if on cue her mobile phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to see Joey's name flashing up on the screen. Lauren wasn't ready to talk to him yet, she was still a little pissed off about last night, truth be told. She swiped her thumb across the screen, rejecting the call. She sent a couple of text messages, one to her dad telling him she was going into town as she needed time to think and her phone would be switched off and another to Lucy telling her she wasn't going to go to the strip show on Saturday and that was final. Then she turned her phone off and slipped it into her pocket and turned her head to look out of the window.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review. x**


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter Eighty-One**

Joey listened to Lauren's voicemail message and took a deep breath ready to leave her a message and then he chickened out. He hung up and sighed, shaking his head at his cowardice. All he needed to say was he was sorry about last night and tell her he'd be pretty busy for most of the week up until Sunday, and suggest they spend the day together then, or he could maybe squeeze in a lunch date with her on Thursday or Friday. He knew they would've hardly have seen each other this week, but he had every intention of making it up to her. He also realised he'd completely fucked up last night and he felt terrible about it and wondered how she must be feeling about things, about him. He tried to call her again but this time he got a message telling him the phone he was trying to call had been switched off. He frowned and put his mobile down on the table. He had to leave soon to meet the boys and he wasn't even showered or dressed yet. He'd try Lauren again later.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren got home at 4:00pm. She'd been to the Job Centre and signed on and was told she'd have some money in the next couple of weeks. She thought she'd feel better after she'd done this particular task but in fact she felt worse, humiliated somehow. Maybe it was the type of people she'd seen there. Some of them clearly had no inclination of getting a job and just went through the motions of getting their weekly pay. Other's had obviously lost their jobs and were having a difficult time finding another job and coping financially. Then there were the ones outside the Job Centre with their dogs and their cans of cider or beer, who just used the weekly signing on as a get together for their other loser no hope mates. But at the end of the day, Lauren would have some money coming in and could contribute towards the bills at home. She got off the tube and pulled out her phone as she walked through the market. There was a message from Lucy that simply said "okay' and one from her dad telling her to call him if she wanted to talk. But there was nothing there from Joey. She would've thought he would've left a message on her voicemail or sent her a text or something. She got to her house as a flower delivery van pulled up outside. She walked up the steps to the front door as the delivery driver followed her.

'Lauren Branning?' he asked her.

'Yes' she nodded, turning to look at him.

'Delivery for you' he said, holding out a huge bouquet of flowers to her. She looked at them and saw the card on the front that just held one word. "Sorry."

'Can you deliver these somewhere else?' she asked him.

'I'm not supposed to' he said to her.

'Can you return to sender?' she asked him.

'I shouldn't' he replied again. Lauren's face fell and the delivery driver felt sorry for her. 'Where do you want them to go?'

'Do you have a pen?' she asked him, he handed her a biro and she took the card and turned it over writing on the back Joey's name and address and three words. He took the flowers back to the car and drove away with a smile in Lauren's direction.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

When Joey got back to his flat at 9:00pm he found a bouquet of flowers on his doorstep. He frowned picking them up and quickly unlocking his door and entering the flat, slamming the door behind him. He carried the flowers into the kitchen and he pulled off the card on the front. He saw the word "Sorry" on it and knew these were the flowers he'd sent to Lauren. He noticed the small "p.t.o" on the bottom and he turned the card over. "Not good enough" was all she'd written on the back.

'SHIT!' he cursed loudly. He knew Lauren was pissed off at him but hoped flowers would do a little damage control, obviously not. He grabbed his phone and dialled her number, hoping it would ring. It did and he held his breath as he waited for Lauren to answer. It rang 6 times before she answered.

'What?' she snapped down the phone to him. Joey closed his eyes at her tone.

'You didn't like the flowers?' he asked her.

'The flowers were beautiful, I didn't have a problem with the flowers, just the sender' she replied.

'Oh' he said in return. The line went quiet as they both waited for the other person to speak. Finally, Lauren broke the silence.

'So you called me because…' she trailed off.

'To apologise, again, for last night. I…I don't know what to say' he told her 'I was an idiot'

'Was?'

'Am…I am an idiot' he corrected quickly. 'I really want to make things up to you, Lauren' he told her 'tell me what I can do'

'Sorry, you'll have to figure it out for yourself' she replied, clearly not intending to help him out.

'Look, I'm busy the rest of the week with the boys and Saturday is the gig…I have to go and see mum on Sunday so we could go out Monday?' he asked her. The deathly silence at the other end of the phone told Joey Lauren clearly wasn't impressed.

'I'll get back to you if I'm free' she replied in a frosty tone.

'Lauren…please don't hang up' he said sensing she was about to. She put the phone back to her ear. 'Are you still there?' he asked her.

'Do you hear a dialling tone?' she replied.

'No' he said softly, he walked through to the lounge and sat down on the sofa. 'So I guess that means you're still there, plus you spoke so…' he said and he licked his lips. 'I'm really sorry I'm so busy, babe' he told her. 'I swear my life is not always like this' he said to her 'you can at least see why I liked Hawaii so much' she didn't reply but he could hear her breathing on the other end of the phone. 'I really am sorry, Lauren. I wanted you to come back to mine last night but I didn't want you to think I just wanted you for sex. I don't want sex…I mean I do want sex…I'd like a lot of sex' he said to her 'with you… Just with you…' he corrected hurriedly, he sighed loudly 'talk to me babe, how was your day?'

'Shitty' she replied.

Joey waited for her to say more but when she didn't he asked her another question. 'Why…not because of me?' he asked her. 'I feel guilty enough already for being a crappy boyfriend without finding out your day being shitty was because of me too' he said

'I had to sign on today' she said quietly 'I need some money coming in so I had to go and sign on and I feel like I'm a failure'

'Babe, you're not' he said softly 'Signing on isn't a bad thing. You've tried to get a job haven't you, hey? It's not your fault, babe. It's the morons out there who haven't seen what a great person you are, what a great employee you could be.'

'I guess' she said softly. 'Doesn't feel that way' she replied.

'I know' he said softly 'you know I'd hire you on the spot if I had a job to give you' he told her.

'So you say'

'What are you doing now?' he asked her.

'Nothing' she replied. 'Just lying in bed'

'This early?' Joey looked at his watch 'it's only 9:10pm' he said in surprise.

'It's not like I have any money to go anywhere and besides Lucy and Whitney aren't talking to me so…' she trailed off.

'Why not? Have you had an argument?' he asked her.

'No not really. They wanted to go out Saturday night and I told them I'm not going, and that makes me ungrateful and selfish apparently' Lauren said thinking back to the text she'd got an hour ago from Lucy, it also told her the weekend trip she and Whitney were planning for her was also cancelled and that was the final word on the matter. To say Lauren was feeling more than a little sorry for herself was an understatement.

'Do you want me to come over?' he asked her.

'No' she said quickly.

'I could be there in half an hour' he got up and walked to the kitchen, picking his car keys up off the side.

'And what are you going to do when you get here?' she asked him.

'Try and make you smile' he replied.

'Dad's been trying that all evening, it just ended up being annoying so I came to bed' she replied.

'Do you want to come and stay at mine?' he asked her.

'You just want sex' she replied.

'Yes, I do' he told her honestly 'but you're upset with me so I'll settle for you ignoring me while we're in bed together' he told her. 'Maybe you can tell me what Amanda said to you that upset you, because she won't tell me. She just said I needed to talk to you about it'

Lauren swallowed 'it's nothing. I'll get over it' she lied.

'I don't want you to get over it. I want to talk about it' he told her 'Okay that's settled, I'm coming to get you, so pack a bag for the next three days' he said and he hung up without waiting for an answer.

 **AN: Thanks for al your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review.**


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter Eighty-Two**

Lauren raced down the stairs when she heard someone knock on the door 'I'll get it' she said, not that her parents ever answered the door, mainly it was her or Abi who had to do it, even if her parents were standing right next to it when someone knocked. She opened the door and saw Joey standing there with a red rose.

'Hi' he said and he looked at her with a frown 'where's your bag?' he asked her.

'I didn't pack one' she told him.

'Oh well, then you'll have to walk around the flat naked then' he said 'never mind' he grinned at her and he stepped forward, bending down and he lifted Lauren over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. She squealed and he slapped her rear softly.

'Hush now' he scolded her playfully 'Mr and Mrs Branning, I'm kidnapping Lauren for a few days. Don't worry I'll bring her back in one piece' he called out before he carried her out of the house and down the steps to his car. 'Boot or passenger seat?' he asked her playfully. 'Boot it is' he said when she didn't reply. He started walking round to the boot and he opened it. Max and Tanya had moved to the window to watch them.

'Don't you dare put me in the boot!' she squealed as he started to lower her.

'I gave you a choice…you said nothing so I chose the boot' he told her setting her down on her feet. 'Besides, in all the movies I've seen where people are kidnapped they go in the boot not the passenger seat' he said. Lauren put her hands on her hips and she glared at him. 'So…Get in the boot' he ordered her, pointing at the boot.

'No!' she shook her head.

'Get in the boot…please?' he tried again. Lauren shook her head. 'Pretty please?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head again and he saw a faint smile on her lips 'what was that?' he said pointing to her lips 'was that a smile?'

'Nope, I'm not smiling' she told him and she turned to walk away from him 'you're not funny, Joey' she said.

'Okay I'm done playing the nice kidnapper. Get in the boot, bitch' he said. Lauren stopped walking and spun round to look at him, a look of shock on her face.

'What did you just call me?' she demanded.

'Who me? Nothing' he said keeping his face as innocent as possible as he shook his head.

'You just called me a bitch' she said.

'No I didn't' he said and he looked over his shoulder and saw a couple walking through the gardens. 'I think he said it to her' he looked back at Lauren.

'If you think I'm going with you now you can think again!' she said and she turned to go and then slapped his arm.

'Ouch, hey! I brought you a rose' he said holding it in her face.

'Fuck you and fuck your rose' she snapped at him and she smacked the rose away, her hand catching one of the thorns. 'Ouch' she exclaimed, raising her hand to her lips to suck away the blood that had risen to the surface.

'Let me see' Joey said, reaching out to take her hand from her, she turned her back on him, he moved round to stand in front of her and she turned her back on him again. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him and took her hand away from her mouth and looked at it. He moved her under the street lamp so he could get a better view. He saw a faint thin line where the thorn had caught her, he raised her hand to his lips and he kissed it softly, his eyes holding hers the whole time. 'There, I've kissed it better' he said and he looked at the rose. 'Stupid rose' he said tossing it over his shoulder. She giggled and he smiled at her 'I'm sorry, babe' he told her 'I love you' he said.

'I love you too' she replied as he drew her towards him. His lips met hers in a soft gentle kiss.

'Say you'll stay at mine' he told her 'I want to spend some time with you'

'I haven't packed anything'

'I have everything you need at my place. Clothes, toothpaste, shampoo' he said softly 'please stay with me' he kissed her again. 'Please…please…please'

Lauren smiled and giggled, 'Okay' she nodded her head. Joey slammed the boot before leading her to the car, opening the passenger door for her, closing it behind her when she was seated. Joey got into the driver's side and started the engine, glancing over at Lauren to see her waving at her parents.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey let them into his flat and they went into the kitchen. He put the kettle on to make some coffee. 'I'm sorry you've had a shitty day, even sorrier if I added to it' he told her 'I tried to call you this morning, to apologise'

'I know, I didn't want to talk to anyone, I needed some time to think about some things' she said leaning against the worktop.

'What things?' he asked her softly.

'Signing on…other things' she shrugged avoiding answering his question fully.

Joey looked at her 'I don't remember you being this secretive in Hawaii. You were like an open book back then' he licked his lips 'you know you can talk to me, Lauren. About anything' Lauren nodded her head but didn't say anything else 'so how come Lucy's turned into a bitch again?' he asked her 'what's so important about Saturday night?'

'Well, she and Whitney paid for tickets for the three of us to go to a …show' she replied.

'And you don't want to go?' he raised his eyes again to look at her.

'Nope' she shook her head, watching Joey as he made the coffee.

'What kind of show is it? A musical? Or a drama?' he asked her, obviously thinking her friends would be seeing a show in the West End.

'A strip show' she replied as he handed her a cup. She carried it through to the lounge and sat down on the sofa, kicking off her shoes as she drew her legs beneath her.

'Dream Boys?' he asked taking a seat beside her.

'Adonis' she said, lowering her gaze and taking a sip of coffee.

'That's what we're called' Joey replied quietly. He wasn't sure Lauren heard him because she didn't mention it.

'And now she's got the hump with me because I changed my mind and said I wasn't going, So they've cancelled the weekend away too, telling me I'm selfish and ungrateful, even though I didn't ask them to buy me a ticket in the first place and they know I hate strippers. I think they're…' she trailed off as she realised what she was going to say and she frowned 'anyway, now both Whitney and Lucy aren't talking to me'

'You think strip shows are what?' he asked her. Lauren raised her eyes to look into his.

'It doesn't matter' she tried to dismiss it, but Joey wasn't going to let her.

'Yes, it does. I promise I won't get offended' he told her, smiling at her encouragingly.

Lauren took a deep breath, letting it out slowly 'I think they're tasteless and cheap and demeaning to men and women' she told him honestly.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. dont forget to leave me a review**


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter Eighty-Three**

Lauren chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for Joey to speak. Surprising her, he laughed loudly. 'It's a fair assumption to make, I think some acts can be that way, but not always. Ours isn't like that' he told her 'Besides at the end of the day it's a job and right now it's all I've got' he told her with a smile 'and like I've said before I enjoy it'

Lauren licked her lips 'What if it was me stripping? How would you feel?' she asked him.

'Are you considering taking it up?' he asked her and Lauren looked at him, appalled by the suggestion and she shook her head.

'No!' she exclaimed 'as if' she frowned, pulling a disgusted face.

'Does this conversation have something to do with the chat you and Amanda had the other night?' he asked her.

'No, not especially' she shrugged nonchalantly. Joey gave her a knowing look. She sipped her coffee, and played with the hem on the ankle of her leggings.

'Okay, so you don't want to talk about it' he said 'what do you want to talk about instead?' he asked her.

'Have you named the kitten yet?' she asked him, she saw a smile light up his face.

'As a matter of fact I have. She's called Popoki' he told her 'It's Hawaiian for cat'

'Oh…well that's interesting' Lauren said with a small smile 'speaking of which, where is the little bundle of fur?'

'She's sleeping somewhere' he said glancing around the room 'probably in the bathroom again'

Lauren nodded her head 'toilet's seat down I hope? Don't want the little thing to fall into the bowl and drown' Joey blinked at her, before leaping off the sofa and rushing into the bathroom to check.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren yawned for the eighth time and Joey smiled at her 'okay you, time for bed' he told her and he climbed up off the sofa and took both her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. He turned off the TV with the remote, dropping it back down onto the sofa. He led her into the bedroom and she sat down on the bed as he pulled out a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt for her to sleep in. 'Everything you need is in the bathroom, I'll go lock up and make sure Popoki has food and then I'll be in' he told her. Lauren nodded her head and as soon as he was gone, she changed her clothes. Padding barefoot through to the bathroom, she saw the kitten was asleep on the floor, she cleaned her teeth, using Joey's toothbrush, washed her face and then used the toilet. The flushing of the toilet, startled the kitten who leapt up and twisted in mid-air. When she landed on all fours she was all puffed up and glaring at Lauren angrily. Lauren poked her tongue out at the kitten and turned off the bathroom light as she moved out of the room.

When Joey returned to the bedroom, Lauren was already tucked up in bed, her eyes closed. He wondered if she was already asleep or just faking it. He pulled off his clothes, putting on a pair of sweatpants before climbing into bed. He flicked off the bedside light and leant over Lauren and kissed her softly on the cheek. 'Night, babe. Love you' he whispered softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey was the first up in the morning. He showered and changed and was sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee and some toast when he heard the toilet flush. A few minutes later Lauren wandered into the kitchen. Joey smiled at her 'morning, babe' he said, pushing back the chair to get up and pour her some coffee. Taking Joey by surprise, Lauren put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving and straddled his lap with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She heard the sound of Joey's toast as it hit the plate and his hands were on her hips holding her in place as he kissed her again, deepening the kiss. She wriggled on his lap and he groaned softly.

'Morning' Lauren grinned at him as the kiss ended.

'I have to leave in 20 minutes' Joey complained.

'We only need fifteen' she replied chewing on her bottom lip. Joey nodded in agreement and he picked her up, setting on her feet as he stood up and undid his jeans pushing the down along with his boxers before he sat down again. He reached for her, his hands moving under the t-shirt she was wearing discovering she wasn't wearing the boxer shorts she'd gone to bed in. He encouraged her to straddle him again and he pulled her into a kiss.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Twenty minutes later and Lauren was alone in the flat feeling more than a little frustrated…turns out she needed more than fifteen minutes…Joey, however, didn't. He'd given her a quick apologetic kiss as a car horn sounded outside. 'I'm sorry, babe. I'll make it up to you tonight I promise' he said and then he was gone.

Lauren sighed and looked around the flat, wondering what she was going to do all day. She turned and looked at the kitchen, pouring herself a coffee from the pot on the side. She saw Joey's phone on the side and reached for it, he'd obviously forgotten it, due to her distracting him and then his rush to leave, Lauren wondered if he would be back to pick it up. She wondered how long he'd be out for today. He hadn't even told her where he was going. She had a feeling today was going to be a long day. But first there was something she needed to take care of. She grinned to herself and left the phone on the side and headed back to the bedroom with her coffee.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review. x**


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter Eighty- Four**

Joey was a little worried as he drove back to his flat. Worried Lauren wouldn't be there and that if she was she'd be pissed off at him for being so long. He knew he didn't have much food in the flat, he wasn't expecting to have a house guest. So he'd stopped off on the way home to do a food shop, planning to cook dinner for Lauren when he got back. He was annoyed he'd left his phone at home so he couldn't call Lauren and see if she was okay, or let her know what time he would be home. Also he wasn't sure she actually had her phone on her as he'd "kidnapped" her on her front door step wearing only the clothes she'd stood in. He clearly hadn't though things through and to top it off he'd left her sexually unsatisfied this morning. He was almost 99.9% certain she wouldn't be speaking to him when he returned to the flat. He glanced at his watch. It was almost 6:15pm, another 20 minutes and he would be home.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren drank the rest of her black coffee with a grimace, carrying the cup to the sink and washing it up before putting it away again. She was starving and wondered when Joey was going to be home. She hadn't been bored at the flat on her own. Satan-Spawn formerly known as Popoki, but recently re-christened had kept her fairly busy throughout the course of the day. Lauren had found she was cleaning up piles of cat sick, as well as other little "gifts" the kitten had felt obliged to leave her, one of which the kitten had chosen to do in Lauren's shoe. Lauren hated the kitten and had named her Satan-Spawn after a couple of hours, and aptly so she thought.

She'd also done a fair amount of snooping whilst Joey was away. She'd looked in every single cupboard and drawer, not that Joey had many. She'd discovered Joey was quite tidy and boring and didn't keep anything he didn't need to. She'd almost given up finding anything juicy when she discovered a shoe box in his closet and when she shook it gently, she knew it didn't contain shoes. When she'd opened the box and looked through it she wished she hadn't decided to snoop at all. Serves you right! She'd thought to herself. Lauren had discovered some pictures of Sarah, Joey's ex fiancée along with some love letters she'd written him whilst he was in Hawaii. No doubt trying to get Joey back. Some of the dates of the letters coincided with the time Lauren was in Hawaii and in Joey's bed. She thought it was strange he'd never mentioned them to her and she wondered what his reasons for not telling her about them were.

She wished she had her phone with her so she could call Lucy, talk things through with her although at the moment the girls weren't speaking. She knew her phone would probably be filled with bitchy texts from both Whitney and Lucy by now. She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost half past 6. She found herself, once again wondering where Joey was and where he'd been all day and if, when he got home, if he'd have any food with him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey pulled into the drive and climbed out of the car. He grabbed the shopping from the boot of the car and walked the short distance to the front door. Juggling the bags in his hand he managed to find his door keys and unlock the door. Peering into the lounge he saw Lauren wasn't in the room. There was a faint smell of Dettol in the air though, he frowned, curious to know why. He carried the bags to the kitchen and put them down on the table. He could see Lauren had cleaned the kitchen, putting away all the things he normally left out on the side. He wandered through the house and found Popoki sitting outside the closed bedroom door, she meowed and purred when she saw Joey. He opened the bedroom door and saw Lauren lying on the bed with her eyes shut.

'Babe?' he said softly. Lauren heard the thundering of tiny feet as Satan-Spawn galloped into the room. She opened her eyes to look at him. Joey gave her a sheepish grin. 'I'm home' he said.

'Did you bring food?' she asked him.

'Yes' he nodded his head once 'it's why I was late' he replied.

'You're late?' she questioned him 'for you to be late wouldn't that mean you would've given me a time as to when you would be back?' she asked him as she sat up, swinging her feet off the bed and almost stamping on the kitten, it hissed and lashed at her with its claws out. Lauren ignored it and walked out of the bedroom 'you owe me a new pair of shoes by the way' she called out as she headed towards the kitchen

'I owe you a new pair of shoes?' he frowned, trying to work out how he owed her a new pair of shoes. 'How come I owe you a new pair of shoes?' he asked her.

'Your cat decided to shit in them!' she replied. Joey detected a tone of annoyance in her voice. She was rummaging through the bags looking for something to eat when he entered the kitchen. 'Did you buy milk?'

'Are we out of milk?' he asked her.

' ** _We_** are not out of milk _._ _ **You**_ are out of milk, this is your flat' she reminded him. 'And yes, _ **you**_ are out of milk'

'I'll run to the local shop and get some' he told her, grabbing his keys off the side and heading towards the door. 'What do you fancy for dinner? I thought I'd cook?'

'Right now I'd eat cardboard I'm so hungry' she replied as she pulled out a package from the bags, looked at it for a few seconds and then discarded it. She looked up at Joey 'are you still here?' she asked him.

'Milk! Right…okay…I'm going' he said rushing to the door and opening it 'I'll be back in a few minutes' he said rushing out of the flat.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey was only gone for ten minutes but when he came back, Lauren had got through a packet of hobnobs and was eating some carrots she'd peeled and chopped.

'Milk' he said to her as he walked into the kitchen. Lauren practically snatched it out of his hands and proceeded to pour some over a bowl of cornflakes and into her coffee. She picked up the bowl and cup and walked into the lounge and sat down on the window ledge to eat.

'You can sit on the sofa' he said to her.

'You go ahead. Your cat has peed on it three times and also taken a crap on it' she told him. 'In fact she's peed on pretty much on every piece of floor in here' she said looking around the room.

Joey frowned 'she's litter trained'

'Not today she isn't' Lauren replied. 'Today she must be taking a break from being litter trained'

'Have you fed her?' he asked her.

'Yep. She's also been sick twice on the sofa and in the shoe she didn't shit in!' she looked up at him briefly, before turning her attention back to the bowl of cornflakes she was currently hoovering down at record speed.

'You're hungry, huh?' he asked her, leaning against the wall.

'Mr state the obvious' she mumbled through a mouthful of cornflakes.

'So as kidnappers go I'm doing pretty well, you know with the no food thing?' he asked her, trying to lighten her mood and the situation. 'So what did you do all day?' he asked her when the cornflake bowl was almost empty.

'Aside from using half a bottle of disinfectant in your flat and tossing out a brand new pair of shoes? Well, let's see? I cleaned the kitchen twice, the sofa at least 8 times, the hallway floor three times and the lounge floor three times. I had no food all day and 2 cups of black coffee and a glass of water' she said, as she looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think about what else she'd done that day 'oh and I finished what you started this morning…twice. Once in the bedroom and then again in the shower' she told him as she got up and walked into the kitchen. She put her cup and bowl in the sink. Joey spat his coffee out as he heard what she'd said. 'So how was your day?' she asked him.

'Well…'

Lauren held up her hand as he started to speak 'you now what? I don't really give a shit' she told him and she grabbed a bag of cheese balls from the shopping bag and took them through to the bedroom. Joey closed his eyes, he was right she was pissed off with him. He couldn't do anything right for the want of trying. A few seconds later she emerged from the bedroom 'your house trained kitten has just used the bed as a litter tray' she said to him blandly. She swiped the car keys off the side and walked to the door, opening it and slamming it shut behind her as she left. Joey sighed and walked towards the bedroom to deal with the mess.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Twenty minutes later, Joey went outside and found Lauren sitting in his car, the radio on, eating cheese balls. He opened the car door and got in beside her. 'Do you want me to take you home?' he asked her.

'Do you want to take me home?' she replied.

Joey thought about his answer carefully, he'd read enough women's magazines to know he was treading on very shaky ground here.

 **AN: Thanks for all your review for TNT. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter Eighty-five**

'Of course I don't' he said shaking his head 'listen, how about you and I spend the day together tomorrow?' he asked her 'we could go out for the day?' he suggested.

'With no shoes and wearing your clothes?' she asked him 'People will think I'm some sort of homeless prostitute you picked up' she replied.

'That's easily rectified' Joey replied 'I can drive us back to yours and you can pack up a few of your things?'

'And say I agree…what would we do on this day we'd spend together?' she asked him.

Joey blinked at her, he wasn't prepared for her to ask this question and he didn't have the answer 'what do you fancy doing?' he asked her.

Lauren licked her fingers and rolled up the bag of cheesy balls 'well I'd have to think about it' she said.

'You can do that' Joey nodded his head, a slight smirk on his face.

'And you'll do anything' she asked him

'Anything' he said in agreement.

'Well I guess that's a start' she said

'Yeah? Well, that's good' Joey said with a small smile. Lauren held the car keys out to him. He blinked at her and frowned. 'You want me to take you home now?' he asked. Lauren nodded her head.

'Please' Lauren replied. Joey took the car keys from her and put them in the ignition.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey was silent on the drive back to Walford, he pulled up outside her house and left the engine running as Lauren opened the car door and climbed out, she bent down to look at him 'I'll be twenty minutes…' she said to him.

'How much do you plan on packing?' he asked her.

'Okay fifteen minutes' she replied with a smile as she closed the car door. Joey watched her as she walked up the stairs and disappeared into her house. He turned the ignition off, leaving the radio playing as he waited for her. Half an hour later Lauren came out of the house with a large bag. She got into the car and he saw she'd changed her clothes. 'Fifteen minutes my arse! I thought you weren't coming back out' he mumbled to her as he started the engine.

'I considered it, just to see how long you'd wait out here' she teased him as he pulled away from the kerb. He rounded the pub and slammed on his brakes as someone stepped into the path of the car. 'It's Lucy' Lauren muttered 'why did you brake?' she hissed at him as Lucy walked round to the passenger door and motioned for Lauren to open the window. Lauren pressed the button on the door and lowered the window.

'Where the fuck have you been?' Lucy asked her 'I've been trying to call you all day' she glared at her friend.

'Really?' Lauren asked her 'my voicemail is full of messages, no doubt from you and Whit calling me an ungrateful bitch…' Lauren said with a frown 'and you know what Lucy, friends like you two I can do without' she told her and she closed the window 'drive!' she instructed Joey. Joey did as he was told and he glanced in the rear view mirror to see Lucy staring at the car in surprise.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Once they were back at Joey's flat, Lauren carried her bag through to the bedroom and she moved some of his things off the top of his drawers and put her bag on top of it, well out of the reach of a certain little furry spawn of Satan. She went back into the kitchen and saw Joey opening a bottle of wine and she smiled. Joey looked up at her 'you hungry?' he asked her softly.

'How about some pasta?' Lauren said, grabbing a packet she saw in the bag earlier. She walked to the stove and grabbed a pan and filled it with water and placed in on the heat. Joey poured them both a glass of wine and he started to chop vegetables to make a pasta sauce.

After they'd eaten, Joey fed the kitten while Lauren washed and dried up. Joey put the dishes away and then topped up her wine glass from a new bottle he'd opened. She looked up at him with a smile 'are you trying to get me drunk?' she asked him as he walked up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and pressing his lips to her throat.

'The thought hadn't crossed my mind' he said in a husky voice. Lauren smiled and took a sip of wine.

'Really?' she asked him softly.

'Maybe it did' he replied, kissing her neck again. 'Although, back in Hawaii, I seem to recall it took a lot of alcohol to get you drunk' he told her. Lauren put her glass down and she turned round in Joey's arms. Joey looked down at her and a slow smile spread across his face. 'Why don't you and I have an early night?' he asked her softly 'I can try to make up for leaving you high and dry this morning?'

'You could try' she replied, her eyes falling to his lips 'I mean it's the least you can do' she nodded her head slightly.

'It is' he whispered and he moved forward and brushed his lips against hers. He took her hand in his and led her to the bedroom. Her nose wrinkled as she looked at the bed. 'Don't worry I changed the sheets' he told her with a smile. He pushed the bedroom door shut, walking her backwards towards the bed. 'I think you're a little overdressed don't you?' he asked her as he reached for her t-shirt. She raised her arms above her head and Joey pulled the garment over her head and threw it behind her, he turned her around and unhooked her bra, dropping it to the floor. Joey's lips kissed her neck gently as his hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples, Lauren tilted her head back, leaning against Joey's shoulder. She closed her eyes and a soft moan escaped her lips. Joey smiled, sliding one hand lower, over her stomach and undoing the button and zip of her jeans before pushing them down her legs. Eager fingers dipped beneath the elastic of her knickers and probed gently between her legs, circling her clit and putting a gentle pressure on it. She moaned again, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she closed her eyes. Suddenly his hands were gone and she felt herself being turned around once again. She opened her eyes to look into his and Joey smiled at her. He stripped her naked and helped her climb onto the bed. Lauren noticed he was still fully clothed as he climbed over her. His mouth closed over hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth, seeking out hers and dancing with it. She could feel a prominent bulge in his jeans pressing against her thigh. She shifted beneath him, looping one leg over his, running her foot up his calf, Joey pressed his jean clad erection against her centre, rocking gently against her, causing her to moan at the contact.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

She was still riding out her second orgasm as Joey moved up her body, pressing his lips against her naked flesh every so often until he reached her lips, she opened her eyes to look at him and he gazed down at her. Her eyes were bright and shining, her pupils dilated, her cheeks were flushed and a light sheen of perspiration covered her skin. He reached out with his hand and brushed some hair off her face and slowly eased his hard length inside her. She groaned softly as he started to move, working her through the remnants of her last orgasm before he started to pound into her harder and faster and driving her towards her third release of the night.

'JOEY! JOEY! OH MY GOD JOEY!' Lauren screamed loudly as her third orgasm tore through her at break neck speed, she dug her nails painfully into his back, breaking the skin, causing him to explode within her with a muffled cry. A few minutes later, Joey rolled off her, collapsing against the pillows, fighting for breath.

'So, did that go a little way to making up for this morning?' he asked her when he had got his breath back. Lauren turned her head to look at him, a small smile on her face.

'It's a start' she said smirking at him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren's head was resting on Joey's chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart while he played with her hair. 'So have you thought about what you want to do tomorrow?' he asked her.

'Actually, I kind of already have plans' she told him softly.

'You do?' he frowned 'who with?'

'Amanda' Lauren said 'she called on your phone and I answered it, we got to talking and we've arranged to meet up tomorrow' she said to him.

'Oh…did anyone else call?' he asked her, Lauren nodded.

'Someone called Alice. She was really nosey and asked me a lot of questions, so I told her I was your maid' she said to him. 'She called five more times but I didn't answer'

'You told my sister you were my maid?' he asked her in amusement.

'Mmhmm' she murmured as her eyes drifted shut. 'I didn't know she was your sister, did I?' she asked him.

'What else did you do today?' he asked her a little suspiciously.

'I snooped' she replied with a yawn.

'Oh…you did? Find anything…interesting?' he looked down at her.

'Well that's for me to know and you to find out' she replied.

Joey swallowed, racking his brains trying to remember if he had anything here he shouldn't have. He couldn't think of anything, maybe after Lauren went home he'd have a look around himself.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. There may be a chance for another chapter tonight... you know what to do! Don;t forget to leave me a review. xxx**


	87. Chapter 87

**Chapter Eighty-six**

Joey was the first to wake up the next morning, he glanced at Lauren and saw her sleeping beside him and he smiled. He climbed out of bed and took a shower and dressed. He walked through to the kitchen and started to make breakfast for the two of them. He'd just finished serving up when Lauren walked into the room, followed by Popoki, who skidded on the tile floor right into Joey's foot. He smiled and bent down scooping the kitten up into his hands.

'Hello, you' he said ticking her on the head. 'You hungry too, hey? Don't worry I've made you breakfast too' he said and he carried her over to her bowl in the corner and set her down next to it. She tucked into her food hungrily and he smiled before turning back to Lauren. 'Morning' he said with a smile 'how did you sleep' he asked her.

'Like a baby' she replied 'you?'

'I slept pretty well, thanks' he smiled at her 'so I've made breakfast…' he gestured to the table.

'So I see' she said with a smile as she pulled out a chair and sat down. 'I'm starving'

'Eat up before it gets cold' he told her taking a seat. 'So what time are you meeting Amanda?' he asked her.

'She's coming here around 11:00am' Lauren said 'and we're going out to lunch' Joey pulled out his wallet and held 2 twenty pound notes out to her along with a set of keys.

'What's that for?' she asked him with a frown.

'Spare keys to the flat and some money' he told her 'what?

'What's that for?' she asked him with a frown.

'I can't treat my girlfriend to lunch?' he raised his eyebrows at her. 'Look I know you haven't got much money and I want you to have a good time' he told her. 'I'd be paying if it was us going out for lunch' he reminded her. Lauren looked at the money and she reached out and took it, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

'Thank you. I'll pay you back' she looked up at him.

'You don't have to' he said shaking his head.

'I'm paying you back' she repeated seriously.

'Okay' Joey replied quietly. He looked at her and then picked up his coffee and took a sip. 'You'll get a job soon' he told her.

'Yeah' she murmured softly. 'Maybe'

 **XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey washed up and put the dishes away and then turned to look at Lauren who was watching him from the table, sipping a cup of coffee. 'Okay, so I've called the boys and we're going to get another day of rehearsal in since you've decided to abandon me today' he teased her 'so I'll be home at 6:00pm' he told her softly. 'You know where everything is?' he asked her.

'Yep, from my snooping yesterday' she teased him.

'Okay then, well you have a good day and I will see you later' he said bending his head to kiss her softly. 'I love you' he told her.

Lauren looked up at him and smiled 'I love you too' she replied softly. Joey grabbed his keys, phone and wallet and left the house. Lauren got up with her coffee and went into the lounge and sat down on the sofa. She picked up the remote control and flipped through the TV channels and settled on the news.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Amanda took Lauren to the same Italian restaurant Joey had taken her to and she seemed to be on first name terms with the staff like Joey had been. Lauren frowned, wondering if Amanda and Joey had ever been together. As the two girls sat waiting for their order, Amanda looked at Lauren. 'So you're staying at Joey's?' she asked her.

'For a few days' Lauren said to her 'not that he's actually there…'

'He really likes you, Lauren' Amanda said with a smile 'the way his face lights up when he talks about you'

'He talks about me?' she asked, picking up her wine and taking a sip.

'All the time' her new friend nodded her head. 'He told us you went out to find him after the tsunami and what happened to you afterwards' she explained 'he feels responsible for what you went through, he feels like he owes you' she explained to her. Lauren blinked and looked down. The last thing she wanted was for Joey to be with her because he felt responsible. Amanda continued to talk. 'After everything he went through with Sarah and then more recently Melanie, he wants to be with someone safe'

Lauren frowned 'Safe?' she repeated 'what do you mean by someone safe?'

'Someone who isn't going hurt him the way Sarah and Mel did' she glanced up briefly from the menu. 'He was in love with Sarah for years. Hell, he was going to marry her and she just gave him the run around. I think he would've left her sooner but he was completely besotted with her and wouldn't listen to anyone saying a bad word against her. When he discovered she was sleeping with his best friend behind his back he was devastated. Took off to Hawaii overnight. Left the boys high and dry, but when he talked to them they understood why he did what he did. Sarah tried to get Joey back, she went out to visit him in Hawaii and sent him a lot of letters and naked pictures of herself in the hopes she could rekindle his interest in her, but it didn't' she said. If Amanda had looked up at Lauren she would've seen her face was red because Amanda had mentioned the letters she'd found and read at Joey's, there were no sign of the naked pictures though and she wondered where he'd put them. If he still looked at them. 'And then there was Mel. They hit it off right away, I introduced them you, know' Amanda looked up at Lauren 'I had no idea that she was pregnant though and would try and pin it on Joey. But Joey, being who he is, was prepared to stand by her and raise the kid, he even told me he was thinking of proposing to her' Lauren picked up her wine and drained the glass and putting it down on the table. That explained why he was so upset about things, he was going to marry Mel and Lauren ruined it for him. 'He tried so hard to make his relationship with Sarah work and Mel too if you think about it. But he says with you, things are easy. He doesn't have to try so hard to make it work…Right I'm ready to order, what about you?' she looked up at Lauren and smiled brightly.

'Mmhmm' Lauren forced a smile on her face and nodded her head.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Amanda dropped Lauren back at Joey's flat at 3:00pm. Lauren went into the bedroom and got her things together. She scrolled through the numbers on her phone and pulled one up and pressed dial. 'Hello?'

'Hi, listen I need a favour, can you come and get me?' she asked him softly.

'Sure, where are you?' the voice at the other end of the phone asked her. She reeled off the address to him. 'I can be there in 20 minutes, are you okay?'

'No, not really' she replied. 'Thanks Stuart, I really appreciate you doing this'

'Anytime, Lauren, you know that' he replied 'I'll see you soon'

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. I am so glad that you like it! Back tomorrow. Please remember to leave me a review. xx**


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter Eighty-seven**

Joey walked into his flat at 6:00pm. The flat seemed quiet except for Popoki who was currently having a fight with an imaginary foe on the sofa. He smiled, shaking his head as he watched her. She could be so amusing at times. 'Popoki' he called her, the kitten ignored him and continued to fight off her attacker 'Popoki…food' Popoki's ears pricked up at the mention of food and she dived off the sofa and galloped over to him, weaving in and out of his feet as they walked to the kitchen. He fed her and gave her some clean water and then walked through to the bedroom. Maybe Lauren was sleeping. He opened the bedroom door was surprised to see she wasn't there. He knew she was going out with Amanda today but he'd thought that was just for lunch. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone and dialled Amanda's number. 'Hello you' she answered

'Hey. Listen, is Lauren still with you?' he asked her.

'Nope I dropped her off at 3:00pm. Why?'

'I was just checking your lunch plans didn't escalate into something more' he said 'and she's not here' Joey told her.

'Maybe she went out for some fresh air or to get some milk' Amanda replied. Joey sat down on the bed.

'So how was lunch?' he asked her 'How was Lauren? Did she eat?'

'It was good. She didn't eat much, pushed her food around her plate, but she told me she'd ordered something she'd never had before and didn't really like it'

'Did she say anything?'

'No, not really, I did most of the talking' Amanda said to him 'you know me, never let anyone get a word in edgeways' she laughed. 'I really like her, Joey. You've got yourself a good one there' she told him.

'Yeah, I know' he smiled 'she's perfect'

'You better not do anything to screw this up' Amanda told him 'I like her a lot. I think we can be great friends given the chance'

'I'm not going to do anything to screw things up between us' he said 'not when I've finally got her back' Joey told her 'did my stripping come up in the conversation?' he asked her

'Nope, like I said I did most of the talking. Why?' Amanda asked her.

'I'm not sure she wants me to do it' Joey said 'it was just something she said, she said stripping is demeaning to men and women'

'We didn't talk about stripping' Amanda said 'and besides, I'm sure if she didn't want you to do it she would've said so'

'Yeah, maybe' Joey sighed 'listen I better go, make a start on dinner'

'She's got you well trained already' Amanda teased him.

'I love her, I just want her to be happy' he replied.

'Good for you. I'll let you make a start on that dinner' she said 'See you later, Joey'

'Bye' he replied with a smile and hanging up.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Stuart looked at Lauren and he sighed 'so what do you want to do?' he asked her.

'I don't know' she said softly.

'You know what I think you should do?' he told her, she shook her head 'I think you need to go and talk to him, tell him how you really feel' he told her softly. 'You haven't got anything to lose have you? Not after everything you told me Amanda said to you'

Lauren looked up at him 'I don't want to be the "safe" option' she told him shaking her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. 'I want him to feel the same way about me as I do about him' she told him. 'Is that so wrong?'

'No, of course it isn't' Stuart said to her softly 'it's exactly what I wanted for us' he told her.

'But we didn't work' she said to him. 'Because I didn't feel the same way you did, so that means Joey and I aren't going to work either' she said a hint of panic in her voice.

'I didn't say that and you don't know that' Stuart said to her 'you told me Joey told you he loves you, so why are you doubting that he does?'

'Because his friend Amanda said I was the safe option, I was the type of girl he didn't have to try too hard for. That he wasn't worried about me hurting him'

'That doesn't mean that he doesn't love you' Stuart said 'you're a pretty easy girl to fall in love with' he said with a smile 'and a pretty hard girl to get over. Running away isn't going to solve anything. You need to talk to him. Don't make the same mistake you made with me' he said 'if you'd just talked to me we could've called things off before we got to the day of the wedding' he said with a sad smile 'we could've stopped an awful lot of heartache and misery'

'I guess' she said nodding her head.

'So… am I taking you back to Walford or am I taking you back to Joey's?' he asked her.

Lauren took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Joey's' she breathed.

'I think you've made the right decision' Stuart said as he started the car.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren let herself in with the spare set of keys Joey had given her that morning. He looked up from the dining table. 'Where have you been?' he asked her. Lauren saw the table was set for a romantic dinner for two and Joey looked pissed. 'I was worried' he said to her with a frown as he got up 'dinner is probably ruined by now' he moved into the kitchen. Lauren put her bag down by the door and shrugged off her coat, dropping it on top of her bag.

'Actually, I'm not really that hungry' she said to him softly. He looked up at her as he took what looked like a pasta bake out of the oven. He gave her an annoyed look 'but it looks great' she added quietly. 'Listen, Joey, I think we need to talk' she said to him and walked into the lounge, leaving Joey staring after her.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review xx**


	89. Chapter 89

**Chapter Eighty-eight**

Joey put dinner back in the oven, turning the gas off and he walked through to the lounge. He looked at the serious expression on Lauren's face and swallowed nervously as he sat down. He licked his lips as he looked at Lauren. 'What did you want to talk about?' he asked her.

'Why didn't you tell me Sarah was in touch with you whilst you were in Hawaii?' she asked him.

'Did Amanda tell you that?' he asked her with a frown.

'Was it when I was there?' she asked, ignoring his question 'did she send you the naked pictures then too?'

Joey closed his eyes 'yes' he said with a slight nod of his head. 'I didn't tell you because it didn't matter. I had no desire to restart my relationship with her' he said, 'her letters and photographs meant nothing to me, they mean nothing to me. I didn't even reply to them'

'Do you still have them?' she asked him, her gaze holding his. She knew he still had the letters and wanted to see if he'd be honest with her.

'No' he shook his head. 'They were in Hawaii. I lost everything…' he trailed off. Lauren looked down, feeling hurt and disappointed with the lie he'd just told her. She swallowed and played with her fingers. 'What else did Amanda say?' he asked her.

'That you were ready to marry Mel. Do the right thing by her' she said 'until I ruined it'

Joe blinked at her. 'You didn't ruin anything, you found out the truth and you stopped me from making a huge mistake. I could've raised another man's child and been completely oblivious to that fact for the rest of my life' he told her 'I know I was angry with you about it, and I know I said some pretty terrible things to you and I know an apology won't make you forget the things that I said…I was in dark place…I thought I was going to be a father…to discover that someone I thought I knew could lie to me like that made me so angry and I took that anger out on you…he trailed off 'what's that old saying? Don't shoot the messenger? Well in this case the messenger got well and truly slaughtered' he licked his lips. 'You telling me was the right thing to do' he told her softly. 'You do know that right?' he asked her.

'I don't know' Lauren shook her head. 'The way Amanda tells it you were working really hard at making things work with Mel, just like you did with Sarah' she said to him.

'Until you and I got together, yes' he said softly. 'Mel and I were never serious…the baby was the only thing keeping me involved in her life' he told her.

Lauren looked up at him. 'But you didn't tell me about her' she said to him 'we were on a date…don't you think that conversation was something we should've had before we even went on a date?' she asked him.

'I was waiting for the right time to tell you'

'Were you?' Lauren asked him 'I mean…am I that difficult to talk to?'

'No...' he shook his head. 'Not always' he said with a smile, trying to lighten the moment. Lauren got up and walked to the window and looked out. Joey watched her, she seemed to be gathering her thoughts and he wondered what she was going to say next.

'Why are you with me?' she asked him. 'I mean you'd been back in London for what 6 months and you didn't think to come and see me, or contact me. We bump into each other and you find out what I went through, what you thought you saw didn't happen and you suddenly want to be with me again?' she turned and looked at him 'you feel responsible for my breakdown, I get that, you told Amanda as much and you know what, you were responsible for that' she said to him 'but to be with me because you pity me, because you feel as though you owe me something, that's not okay with me' she told him 'I deserve better than that' she frowned at him.

'Amanda told you that?' he asked her and Lauren nodded her head. 'She's got a big mouth' he frowned.

'So it's true?' Lauren whispered in shock, he looked up at her and saw the devastation on her face.

'No, it's not true' he shook his head. 'Not completely. Yes, I feel guilty about what you went through because of me. I feel guilty because one phone call or one text could've stopped it happening' he told her 'I'm not with you because I pity you, I'm with you because I love you. I fell in love with you in Hawaii'

Lauren blinked at him 'And because I'm the "safe" option too, right?' she asked him. 'You won't get hurt with me?'

'I am going to kill Amanda' he muttered.

'Why? Because she was telling the truth when you clearly haven't been?' she asked.

'Lauren, I've never lied to you' he told her.

'Yes, you have. You've told me lies and you're lying to me now' she said to him with a sad smile.

'No, Lauren I'm not' he shook his head. 'I swear haven't lied to you' he repeated.

'You told me you didn't strip naked anymore and yet there are videos posted of you on YouTube doing just that and no, they're not old videos, Joey, they're recent' she frowned at him 'and the letters from Sarah? The ones you said you lost in Hawaii? They're in a box in the bottom of your closet, I found them when I was snooping' she said, her cheeks reddening at her admission of guilt. 'So don't you dare stand there and tell me that you're haven't lied to me, Joey, because you have' she said. 'You've lied to me twice in the last ten minutes. And that makes me wonder what else you've lied to me about.'

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. I may not be back tomorrow as I'm going on a little trip to see my friend and we're going to see Allegiant! So you may not get a chapter tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review. xxx**


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter Eighty-nine**

Joey blinked at her, stunned by her revelation of what she'd found. When she said she was snooping, he didn't think she was being serious…not entirely. Clearly she had been. 'You went through my closet?' he asked her surprised.

'I was bored and I'm sorry I know I shouldn't have…'

'Did you read the letters?' he asked her, already knowing the answer.

'Yes' Lauren said softly, biting her bottom lip nervously. 'I did' she nodded her head and looked down briefly 'and we can talk about that later. What I want to know is what else you've lied to me about'

'Nothing' Joey said shaking his head. The two of them looked at each other, neither of them speaking for a long time and then Lauren moved towards the door. She bent down and picked up her bag, unzipped a pocket and pulled out her mobile phone. 'What are you doing?'

'Calling a cab' she replied. 'Hello, yes can I please have a cab as soon as possible? From…' she was cut off as Joey crossed the room in three strides and snatched the phone out of her hand, ending the call. 'Hey!' she frowned at him.

'You can't just walk out' he told her.

'Why not?' Lauren asked him.

'Because we need to talk about this' he told her. 'And you're right we will talk about you snooping through my private things too. How would you like it if I snooped through your things?' he asked her with a frown.

'I've got nothing to hide' she said simply, shrugging her shoulders as her phone started to ring. Joey looked down at the screen and stared at it for a few seconds before he held it out to Lauren.

'It's Stuart' he told her. Lauren took the phone and walked away from him as she answered it. He heard a muffled conversation and then Lauren walked back towards the door, stooping down to put her phone back into her bag. 'So…you and Stuart are what? BFF's again, are you?' he asked her, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

'He's been there for me, when I was at my lowest' she replied.

'And were you going to tell me about this new found friendship with your ex-fiancé?' he asked her. 'You do remember that's he's with someone else now, with a kid?' he frowned at her.

'I thought we were talking about why you lied to me?' Lauren said with a frown 'stop trying to change the subject'

'You were the one who said you had nothing to hide yet you didn't tell me about you and Stuart'

'There's nothing to tell, I didn't realise I had to clear my friends with you' she snapped at him.

'That's not what I'm saying and you know it' he snapped back at her.

'Do I?' she frowned at him 'who I'm friends with is none of your business. I make my own decisions, Joey, and I will not run them by you first'

'Well at least I know where I stand' he replied angrily.

'That makes one of us' Lauren replied 'so what else have you said to Amanda about me?' she asked him.

'I talked to Amanda about you, I'm not denying that' he told her 'she's a good friend' he said.

'How good?' Lauren asked him, her meaning clear.

'She's Brett's girlfriend' Joey reminded her.

'That doesn't answer the question' Lauren said folding her arms over her chest.

'Amanda is just a friend, that's all. There's never been anything between us and there never will be, she's not my type' he said to her. 'I was engaged to Sarah when I first met Amanda and then I left and went to Hawaii and I met you. You were the first girl that I'd been with since Sarah and then there was Mel' he said 'there hasn't been anyone else since. I don't want anyone else. I want you'

'Because I'm the easy option? Because you don't have to try with me?' Lauren asked him.

'You think I don't have to try with you? I've had to resort to kidnapping you so I could spend some time with you' he said to her. 'And what about everything I had to do to get you to even talk to me again? The letters you never read, the flowers I sent you…and then I had to agree to just be friends with you when I wanted so much more. Every time I thought about asking you out on a date, I bottled it because I thought you'd say no. I sent you flowers after the disastrous date at the party' he said 'why would I do that if I didn't have to try to make things work with you?' he asked her. 'Things between us in Hawaii were easy, I didn't have to try then, except for the first time we slept together and you woke up and thought we'd had a one-night stand because I wasn't there, but after that? It was just plain sailing' he licked his lips 'that's what I meant when I said things were easy with you, that I didn't have to try' Lauren looked at him, she could see the sincerity on his face. 'Since then, it's been just about the hardest relationship I've ever had…but worth every second…'

'What about what she said about me being the safe option?' Lauren asked him.

Joey sighed 'I don't know what she meant by that. I've never said you were the safe option' he told her.

'I think she meant safe as in you don't care enough about me to be hurt by me' Lauren told him.

Joey got up and crossed the room, cupping her face in his hands, he could see the tears shining in her eyes. 'I care enough' he said softly 'I love you, Lauren' he told her 'And I'm not just saying the words' he said shaking his head. He stared into her eyes and took a deep breath 'I look at you and my heart races in my chest, I think about you and I find myself grinning like an idiot. When I'm not with you I'm counting the minutes until I will be. I miss you when I'm not with you' he said softly 'I fancy you like crazy. You're beautiful, sexy, funny, kind, thoughtful, considerate, passionate…the list is endless babe, I could go on all night' he told her 'You're not the safe option. I know how easily you could break my heart. I also know you would never cheat on me or try to trap me with a baby that wasn't even mine' he said. 'I know you're insecure and afraid of getting your heart broken and I hope that's something I'll never do' he shook his head slightly 'not again.' Lauren uncrossed her arms and moved her hands to his wrists, for a moment he thought she was going to push him away and accuse him of lying again but she didn't.

'Do you really mean everything you just said, Joey?' she asked him quietly.

'Every single word' he nodded his head as he took her hands in his and lowered them to her side.

'Then why would Amanda say those things?' she asked him.

'I don't know babe, but she and I going to have words about it I can promise you that' he said with a frown.

'I thought she liked me, but she's as bad as the other girls at the party' Lauren frowned.

'Did the other girls say something to you?' he asked her.

'They said I wasn't what they were expecting your girlfriend to look like' she told him.

'Why didn't you tell me they were mean to you? I would've said something to them' he asked her.

'Like I can't fight my own battles' she scoffed at him.

'Gave back as good as you got, did you?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head with a grin 'that's my girl' he smiled at her. 'Do you feel a bit better? Now that we talked?' he asked her.

'Yes. I do' she replied and she looked down briefly. 'I'm sorry I snooped' she told him.

'Forget about it' he said 'I'm sorry I had the letters here for you to find. They must have been thrown into the bottom of my backpack or something…' he trailed off 'you do believe me when I say she doesn't mean anything to me, don't you?' he asked her.

'Yes' Lauren replied softly, and she moved forward and kissed him. Joey deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to him as he felt his heart racing in his chest.

'Dinner's getting cold' she murmured against his lips.

'Dinner can wait, right now I have an appetite for something else' he smirked at her as he took her hand and led her towards the bedroom.

 **AN Thanks for your reviews. back tomorrow, dont forget to leave me a review. xxx**


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter Ninety**

Clothes were scattered along the hallway leading to the bedroom, Joey turned Lauren and pressed her against the wall next to the bedroom door as he slid one hand down the front of her knickers, his fingers probing between her folds, she gave a soft moan as he pushed one finger inside her. She closed her eyes leaning her head back against the wall, allowing Joey to move his lips to her neck. He thrust his finger in and out of her gently, adding a second then a third as she groaned loudly. And then suddenly his fingers were gone and her knickers were pushed down her legs. She stepped out of them and moments later she found herself lifted off her feet and carried through to the bedroom.

Lowering her to the bed he moved over her, and looked down at her. Her eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her, his nose brushing lightly against hers before he lowered his mouth to hers. She groaned into his mouth as she felt him slowly entering her, stretching her and filling her completely. She was already close to orgasm and they'd barely started anything. He withdrew almost to the tip before thrusting back into her again. Five more thrusts and she exploded around him, clinging onto him tightly with her arms and legs as he increased his pace. Her first orgasm seemed to be never ending and Joey seemed to be nowhere close to reaching his own climax. He broke the kiss and lowered his head to her breast, taking the stiffened peak into his mouth and torturing it with his tongue and mouth. He paid the same attention to her other breast and then rolled them over so he was on his back, his hands moving to her hips as he guided her movements, lifting her and lowering her onto his cock. Lauren arched her back, resting her hands on his shins, pushing her chest forward as she rode him. She could feel her second orgasm barrelling through her and she cried out at the force of it as she came hard and fast. Yet again, Joey seemed to be nowhere near his. He withdrew from her and turned her over onto her hands and knees, pushing her chest down against the pillows and guided himself into her from behind with a hard thrust. He pounded into her relentlessly and Lauren loved it, she relished it. She could feel more of him in this position, he was moving deeper inside her. She could hear him groaning now and knew he was close. A few moments later her third orgasm hit and he finally pulsed inside her.

Joey collapsed beside her and Lauren rolled onto her back, both of them were breathing deeply, trying to get their breath back.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Are you hungry now? You can't tell me that hasn't worked up your appetite.' Joey asked her, Lauren nodded her head with a faint blush at his words.

'I could eat' she replied.

'Good. Stay here I'll be back in ten minutes' he said, leaning over her and stealing a kiss. He climbed out of bed not bothering to get dressed and disappeared out of the room. Lauren sighed, and stretched her arms and legs out. She felt pleasantly numb. Sex with Joey was great, she wasn't going to deny that. In fact if she was being 100% honest, sex with Joey was the best sex she'd ever had, the best sex she'd probably ever have. She smiled to herself and sat up, throwing the covers off her as she climbed out of the bed. She opened one of Joey's drawers and pulled out a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt, quickly putting them on before she headed to the bathroom.

When Joey came back with a tray, Lauren was back in bed. Lauren spent a little bit of time ogling his naked body as he walked round the bed and placed the tray on the bed, picked up a plate and fork and handing them to her. 'Thank you. This smells delicious, Joey' she smiled at him.

'Let's just hope it tastes as good as it looks' Joey replied as he pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After they'd finished eating, Joey gathered the empty plates and put them on the tray, carrying it back through to the kitchen. He returned moments later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He stood by the bedside table, setting the two glasses down and pouring half a glassful of wine into each. He picked one up and handed it to Lauren. 'Thank you' she smiled at him as Joey got back into bed.

'So, I think there's something else that we need to talk about don't you?' he asked her softly.

'My snooping?' she asked him sheepishly.

'No, we can forget about that. Being stuck in a flat all day by yourself I don't blame you for snooping' he told her 'I'm pretty sure I would've done the same thing ' he told her. 'I was talking about me stripping' he said to her.

'Oh, that' she said with a sigh, she took a long drink of wine and wriggled down a little bit in the bed.

'You don't like me stripping do you?' he asked her.

'No' she shook her head. 'I really don't' she told him.

'Even though you haven't been to a gig?' he asked her.

'I don't need to go to a gig, Joey' she replied 'I saw a video online and if the screaming girls were anything to go by you do your job pretty well…I mean they all seemed to like it. Especially when you stripped naked' she gave him a sideways glance.

'Ah…' Joey said, suddenly understanding. He turned to look at her. 'I told you I didn't strip naked in Hawaii and that was the truth…I didn't' he told her 'but, since being back in the group with the boys…I do, at times, strip naked' he told her 'it's only been a handful of times since I've been back in London. Like I told you in Hawaii, the money's better' he said to her with a small smile. 'None of the girls get to touch me. I'm on the stage the whole time, all they get to do is look'

Lauren nodded her head 'and that's the part I don't like' she admitted to him 'I don't like the fact there are hundreds of girls screaming over you and throwing themselves at you'

'I told you they're not allowed on the stage' he told her 'there's security there to make sure they don't get on' he said to her 'it's true after the gig we sometimes go get a drink at the bar, sign a few autographs. Some of the guys hook up with the girls, but that's something I've never done and never will do' he told her resolutely. 'You have no reason to be jealous, babe, I promise' he told her.

'Except that they get to see everything I do' she said to him. Joey licked his lips 'how would you feel if I was the one who was stripping? Are you telling me that you wouldn't be jealous?' she asked him. 'Knowing that there were hundreds of guys seeing me naked, their eyes roaming all over my body?'

Joey nodded his head 'you're right, I would be jealous' he admitted to her. 'Watching other guys leer at you, wish that they were the ones that would be getting to take you home' he said. He took a sip of his wine and then reached for Lauren's glass and took it away from her. He leant it over to the bedside table and put both glasses down and then moved back towards Lauren. 'I'd hope that I was secure enough in my relationship that I wouldn't feel threatened in any way' he said as he kissed her softly 'but I can't guarantee that I wouldn't be insanely jealous…' he kissed her again 'especially thinking about other men thinking about touching you or having sex with you…' he told her softly. 'You want me to quit stripping?' he asked her.

'I don't want to tell you what to do' she said softly 'I don't want to stop you doing something you enjoy because I don't like it' Lauren looked at him and he smiled at her.

'Babe. I'm just stripping for the money' he told her 'and I want to make you happy' he said softly. 'I can find something else to do…the sketches you did for the bar, we could look into that' he licked his lips 'I still have a lot of the insurance money left, maybe we could get a bank loan for the rest?' he asked her 'what do you say?'

'What are you talking about?' Lauren frowned at him.

'I'm asking you if you want to build and run a bar with me' he told her.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reivwes, back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter Ninety-one**

Lauren blinked at him 'are you being serious?' she asked him.

'Course I am' he nodded his head. 'So what do you say?' he asked her.

'I don't have any money…'

'You've got the designs, the talent. You can figure out the interior colour scheme, the branding…I can't do any of that and it would cost me a fortune to hire someone who could' he told her 'besides, you've already drawn up some pictures. You know me, you know what I want and I think we'd make the perfect partnership. Besides you'd do it for cheap right? He asked her with a grin 'so…what do you say? Yes, I hope' he asked her when he saw her smile.

'Yes' she replied. 'I'm in' she grinned at him.

'Great' Joey said 'I'll tell the boys I'm quitting tomorrow. I'll have to honour some of the gigs we've got booked though. I can't leave them in the lurch again' he told her softly stealing another kiss. 'Not after last time' he said and he pulled away to look at her 'and you have to do one thing for me' he said to her.

'What's that?' she asked him.

'Come and see me at a gig' he told her.

'Joey…'she whined, closing her eyes.

'Please? It would really mean a lot to me, to know that my gorgeous girlfriend is in the audience watching me perform' he said, 'please?' he kissed her softly 'please? Please? Please?' he murmured in between kisses.

'Okay fine, I'll come and watch you' she relented. 'But not Saturday night and not when you strip naked' she told him.

'Alright, another gig then' he told her and she nodded her head.

'I think you should come with me tomorrow too' he told her

'Come with you where?'

'To rehearsals' he said.

'What, you have to practice stripping?' Lauren asked him with a giggle.

'No, you idiot. The dance moves' he said rolling his eyes at her 'I pretty much know how to take my clothes off' he said pulling the sheet away 'and I know how to take yours off too' he said reaching for the bottom of her t-shirt. 'In fact I think I'm an expert…'

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

The next morning Lauren woke before Joey did. She got up, showered and dressed and then went through to the kitchen. Popoki was hovering near her bowl and she watched with disdain as Lauren picked up her meat dish and washed it, dried it with some kitchen towel before putting in some fresh meat for her. Lauren crouched down and put the bowl on the floor in front of the kitten. 'Here you go, you must be hungry, hey?' Lauren asked her softly. The kitten swiped at her with her paws and hissed at her. Lauren snatched her hand away as she felt her skin sting and she stood up, looking down at her wrist, watching as three lines of blood appeared. 'Next time you can starve!' Lauren mumbled as she turned the tap on and held her hand under the cold water. She patted the scratches dry with some kitchen towel and looked down at the three angry looking welts that had now appeared. She really hated that kitten!

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey rolled over in the bed reaching for Lauren, he frowned and opened his eyes as his hand fell onto the sheets. He climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair of boxer shorts and went looking for his girlfriend. He smiled when he found her in the kitchen, standing over the stove making breakfast. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him gently. He kissed her neck softly. 'Morning, gorgeous' he murmured 'mmm that smells good' he said, his mouth watering at the smell of the eggs and bacon cooking. 'I'm starved'

'Well you can lay the table then. It'll be another five minutes yet' she said to him.

'Done' he said, pressing another kiss to her neck. His eyes fell to her hand and he frowned. 'What happened there?' he asked her reaching for her wrist.

'Popoki scratched me when I fed her' Lauren said to him. 'She doesn't like me'

Joey raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. 'Well I like you and I hope you will spend more time here and Popoki is just going to have to get used to it isn't she?' he said to her with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'Are you sure this is going to be okay?' Lauren asked Joey for the hundredth time as he pulled up outside a large building that looked like an old theatre

'Yes, I'm sure' he nodded his head 'the other guys bring their girlfriends all the time' he told 'relax and stop worrying so much' he said as he got out of the car. He walked round to Lauren's door and opened it. 'Besides, **_I_** want you here' he told her, taking both her hands in his to help her out of the car.

'You just don't want me to do anymore snooping' she said with a grin.

'There's that too' he replied with a nod of his head, he shut the car door and locked it. He smiled at her and moved forward to kiss her softly. 'Now stop stalling and come on' he said, leading her towards the door.

'Do you think Amanda will be here?' Lauren asked him. Joey stopped walking and he turned to look at her.

'If she is I'll be having a few words with her, believe me. And you don't have to have anything to do with her' he told her softly. 'After rehearsals I was thinking maybe we could go into town, get a bite to eat?' he suggested 'just you and me?'

'I'd like that' she smiled at her.

'And then I thought tonight we could go out, on a date?' he asked as they started walking again. 'Maybe go to the cinema, or go to a club?'

'Maybe both?' Lauren suggested as Joey opened the door for her, she went inside and he followed.

'If that's what you want to do' he replied. He gave her hand a squeeze as they walked into the room where his friends were already waiting. Lauren saw Amanda was there and the two girls from the party too. She remembered Amanda telling her she didn't like them but there they were laughing and joking together as if they were old friends. Lauren wondered briefly if they were laughing and joking about her. Joey led her to a seat five rows behind the other girls 'why don't you watch from here, hey?' he asked her.

'Okay'' she nodded her head. Joey smiled at her, cupping her face in his hands and drawing her into a long deep kiss.

'I love you' he whispered when they broke apart.

'I love you too, Joey' Lauren replied softly. She watched him walk towards the stage and then walked halfway down the row of seats and sat down. She shrugged off her coat, getting herself comfortable and glanced up to see Joey frowning and pointing at his finger at Amanda. He looked pretty angry with her. Lauren shrank down in her seat when Amanda turned and glanced at Lauren, the two girls she was with also turned and gave Lauren dirty looks. She glanced towards the stage and saw the boys watching Joey, Brett with a perplexed look on his face. Reaching into her handbag she pulled her mobile out and turned it on, setting it to silent and she started to read through her texts. She hoped she and Joey could leave before the three girls in front of her had a chance to come and talk to her.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews...won't be posting another chapter until Sunday! DOnt forget to leave me a review. xx**


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter Ninety-Two**

After what felt like forever to Lauren, music started to play in the auditorium. This wasn't the type of music she expected to hear. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse to strip to? This she would have to see. She looked up from her phone to see the boys lined up and then they started to dance. Her eyes focused on Joey and she was transfixed. She couldn't take her eyes off him, the way he moved on the stage, the way he was so rhythmic and graceful and always in beat with the music. She forced her eyes away from him and looked at the others. Brett was a beat behind, she frowned as she watched him and she wondered if he knew or if it was deliberate. She turned her gaze to the others and saw they were all in perfect sync with Joey. Her attention now back on her boyfriend, she wondered briefly how he would look stripping and dancing at the same time. The song ended and the three girls in front of her clapped and cheered. Lauren rolled her eyes as one of them wolf whistled and shouted something sexually suggestive to Joey. Lauren glared at the back of the girls head and she seemed to sense it and turned to look at Lauren with a smirk. Lauren rolled her eyes and feigned a yawn, as if to let the girl know Lauren was bored with her. Joey leapt off the stage and ran down the aisle to Lauren 'so what do you think?' he asked her expectantly.

'It was really good, I liked it' she nodded her head with a smile 'Brett was a beat behind you all though. Is he meant to be?'

'What? No' Joey shook his head. Are you sure?' he asked her.

'Yeah, positive, I was paying pretty close attention' she told him, and then she blushed as she realised how that sounded. 'Not to Brett…' she trailed off.

'I'll get them to run through it again, why don't you come up on stage for a second' he said to her.

'What no' Lauren hissed shaking her head.

'Please?' he asked her again.

'No, Joey' she told him firmly.

'I need you to show me where he messes up, I'll be up there with you, I'm not going to be dancing' he told her and he held out his hand 'trust me' he said. Lauren took his hand, gripping her phone tightly in the other hand and stood up, letting Joey lead her up to the stage. They climbed up the steps and they walked up the boys.

'Brett, Lauren says you're behind a beat' he told him, Lauren's face coloured.

'No I'm not' Brett shook his head, his eyes darting between Lauren and Joey.

'Just go through the first few bars of the song again' he said 'all of you' he nodded to someone off stage that Lauren couldn't see and the song started again. Joey watched for a few minutes and then held up his hand and the music cut off. 'You missed a step after the first bit of the guitar solo before the drums kick in' Joey said to him. 'Dylan, Shane and Kyle, just you three. Brett watch' Joey said to him. The music started again, a few moments later Joey spoke 'there, you miss that step' Joey told him. 'We added it in like… two days ago'

'I thought we took it out?' Brett frowned clearly confused. 'Okay let me try it again' he said, this time he nodded to someone off stage. The music started and Brett added in the step and Joey nodded.

'That's better' he said and he looked at Lauren' that's better right?' he asked her.

'I guess' she said to him with a tiny shrug, clearly embarrassed by Joey dragging her onto the stage and calling Brett out.

'Thanks Lauren' Brett said with a smile 'good job you were here today, hey?' he said to her 'I had a feeling you were a lot more than just a pretty face' he told her with a wink.

'She's not pretty…she's gorgeous' Dylan said 'Joey's punching well above his weight with you' he winked at her too. Joey put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze, turning his face to press a kiss to the top of her head.

'I hope you're coming to the show Saturday' Kyle said to her.

'Actually I'm not' Lauren said shaking her head 'I'm washing my hair'

'Ouch!' Dylan laughed and he turned to Joey 'says a lot if your girlfriend doesn't want to see you strip and would rather stay in and wash her hair' he teased his friend.

'I didn't say I didn't want to see him strip' Lauren said 'I just prefer it better if there's not a room full of screaming girls and a bunch of other half- naked blokes there too' she replied. She turned to face Joey 'where's the bathroom?' she asked him.

'Backstage, along the corridor, first door on the left' he said with a smile.

'Thank you' she said returning his smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

When Lauren finished in the bathroom, she made her way back towards the stage. She could hear the music playing as soon as she stepped out of the ladies room and she paused at the edge of the stage, she saw another two men on the stage and frowned, wondering who they were. They seemed to know the dance routines pretty well so she assumed they were part of the group. The song stopped suddenly and Amanda appeared from the other side of the stage wheeling on a costume rack, Lauren hung back, not wanting to get into a conversation with her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket pretended to look at it as she walked onto the stage. Joey watched her as she walked down the stairs and towards her seat. She grabbed her coat and bag and carried them along the aisle to the door that led out of the building and she stepped outside. She leant up against wall, letting out a deep breath just as her mobile rang, making her jump. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw it was her dad calling.

'Hi dad' she answered with a smile

'You are alive then' he replied.

'Ha ha, funny man' she looked around for somewhere to sit, crossing over to a small wall surrounding some greenery and she sat down on it. 'How's everything at home?' she asked him.

'You'll have to come home and find out for yourself, won't you?' he asked her

'Why? What's happened?' she asked anxiously 'Is mum okay? Abs?'

'Yes, sweetheart, relax, everyone's fine' he said 'I was just saying it would be nice to see you that's all' he told her 'it'd be nice to just talk to you…' he said pointedly.

'Sorry, things with me and Joey have been a little…intense' she said 'I'll come home tonight' she told him.

'Hey, you don't have to do that. That's not what I'm saying' Max said 'I'm just saying I miss you…we miss you, that's all' he told her.

'Okay, I get it, dad' she said softly

'Are you having fun with Joey?' he asked her.

'We're having a good time' she replied, as she heard footsteps coming towards her and she looked up and she saw Amanda walking towards her. 'Listen, dad I have to go. I'll call you later I promise'

'Okay sweetheart, talk to you soon, I love you'

'Love you too' she said and she hung up the phone, getting to her feet at the same time.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter Ninety-three**

Lauren walked towards the door, completing ignoring Amanda and walking straight past her. 'Lauren?' Amanda called her name but Lauren kept walking. 'Please?' Lauren opened the door and stepped inside, making her way back towards Joey. He looked up at her as she came in, a bright smile lighting up his face that took her breath away. She'd been planning to just retake her seat but she kept walking until she was near the stage and climbed the steps, walking right up to him.

'Hey' he said softly as he put his hands on her waist.

'Hey' she replied reaching up to kiss him on the lips.

'Everything okay?' he asked her.

'Mmmhmm' she nodded her head, the door opened and Joey looked up to see Amanda come in and he frowned.

'Did she say anything else to you?' he asked her.

'I didn't give her the chance to' she replied quietly 'don't make a fuss' she moved her hands to Joey's wrists and took them off her waist and linked her fingers through his. 'Aren't you going to introduce me to the new people on the stage?' she asked him shyly. He grinned at her, nodding his head and he let go of one of her hands and led her to the group of boys who were staring at them both.

'You must be Lauren!' one of them said 'Joey has talked about you constantly and I see he wasn't lying, you're gorgeous' he smiled at her 'I'm Jason, this is my brother Scott and my best friend Shane' he introduced them to her.

'Hi' she said giving a little wave 'so you're all strippers?'

'Mmhmm' Jason nodded his head.

'Collectively known as Adonis' Brett said striking a muscle man pose. Lauren giggled.

'Well the name certainly fits' she said as she let her eyes move from one guy to the next until they settled on Joey again and she smiled at him. 'So who picks the songs?' she asked them.

'Me usually' Brett said to her 'why you got some suggestions?' he asked her.

'I have no idea what makes a good song to strip to' Lauren told him shaking her head. 'Who choreographs?'

'We all chip in' Jason said to her with a smile 'so what do you think from what you've seen so far?' he asked her.

'You're all pretty good…' she nodded her head. 'I have to say I'm impressed'

'Changed your mind about coming to the show Saturday then?' Brett asked her.

Lauren looked at him and shook her head. 'That's a big no. My friends are going and I have no desire to listen to them saying pervy or sexually suggestive things about my boyfriend, thank you very much' she said.

'We still have time to change your mind' Scott winked at her.

'Sorry, that's never going to happen' Lauren said shaking head.

'Right, we'd better get back to rehearsals' Brett said to them all.

'I just need to borrow Joey for a few minutes' Lauren said to him.

'No problems darling' he replied 'just don't bring him back dirty' he laughed as Joey rolled his eyes.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren led Joey to the edge of the stage 'what's up?' he asked her.

'I know I said I would watch the rehearsal, but my dad called and…'

'Is everything okay?' he asked suddenly concerned.

'Yes, everything's fine. I just…I guess I've been incommunicado for a bit and there's something I want to talk to him about. And I was wondering if…' she blushed and looked down.

'What is it babe?' he asked her, raising her chin with his fingers.

'I haven't got any money for a cab…' she blushed redder. Joey nodded his head in understanding and he reached into his pocket, but instead of producing his wallet he held his car keys out to her, she frowned at him in confusion.

'You can drive, can't you?' he asked her

'Yes' she nodded.

'Then you can borrow my car' he told her 'on one condition' he said holding the keys away from her as she reached for them.

'And what's that?'

'You're back here by 1:00pm to pick me up for our lunch date' he said

'Promise, I'll be here at 1:00pm on the dot' she told him, Joey gave her the keys 'thank you' she said with a smile, she reached up to kiss him, Joey deepened the kiss and the boy's on stage cheered and wolf whistled. The two of them were giggling as they broke apart.

'I'm sorry about them. Juveniles, the whole lot of them' he laughed.

'You'd better get back to rehearsals' she told him softly.

'I should' he nodded and stole another kiss before releasing her. He watched her walk down the stairs and towards the door and he smiled before turning back to the boys. 'Right, what's next?' he asked them.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Max looked up as the door to the portacabin opened, he blinked in surprise when he saw his daughter come inside. 'Lauren?' he said with a smile 'well this is a surprise' he said to her and he stood up, moving towards her and enveloping her in a hug. 'Well, you look good' he said, pulling her back so he could look at her. 'I take it you and Joey have worked things out?'

'Yeah, we have' Lauren smiled at him. 'Have you got time for a coffee?' she asked him.

'I always have time for you, sweetheart, you know that' he told her as he reached for his coat which was hanging by the door. 'Café? Or Home?'

'Café, I thought I could pop in and see mum too on the way back' she said with a smile.

'I'll give her a call, she can join us for coffee' Max smiled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren locked up the car outside the theatre and she headed towards the door. 'Hey!' she heard someone call out and she turned to see Brett running towards her. 'Where did you go?'

'I needed to see my dad' she told him with a smile.

'And Joey lent you his car? Wow, you two must be serious' he teased her 'he won't even let me borrow it and we've been friends for years' he said to her as he opened the door for her to go in first.

'Well, I give him sex' Lauren grinned at him.

'Damn it! I knew I was going wrong somewhere' Brett joked, making Lauren giggle. As they walked into the theatre they could hear raised voices coming from the stage. Lauren recognised Joey's voice. Brett exchanged glances with Lauren 'someone's incurring the wrath of Joey. Boy's got a temper' he told her in a whisper 'you don't want to piss him off'

'Been there, done that' she replied, he gave her a questioning look 'When I told him about Melanie' she said in explanation.

'Oh…well that makes a lot of sense now. The drunken phone calls I got…I couldn't work out who _she_ was…she was obviously you' he said to her 'Joey can also be a bit of a drama queen'

'I'd figured that out already' Lauren replied with a nod of her head. 'Actually I'm sort of known as the drama queen amongst my circle of friends too' she confided in him.

'That's good to know' Brett grinned at her.

Another raised voice joined in the shouting and Brett's head snapped towards the stage, it was Amanda's. Brett frowned and he started to walk towards the stage wanting to see what was going on, Lauren followed not wanting Brett and Joey to come to blows.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, back tomorrow, dont forget to leave me a review.x**


	95. Chapter 95

**Chapter Ninety-four**

As the two of them got closer to the stage they could hear more of the argument. 'YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN YOU SPOKE TO LAUREN, YOU JUST CAN'T STAND TO SEE ME HAPPY WITH SOMEONE THAT ISN'T MEL' Joey shouted angrily. 'YOU TOLD HER SHE WAS THE EASY OPTION. A SAFE OPTION. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK SHE WAS GOING TO TAKE THAT TO MEAN?'

Brett ran up the steps onto the stage and then disappeared back stage. 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?' he shouted over them both. Joey and Amanda turned to look at him in surprise, thinking that the theatre had been empty.

'Joey and I were just talking. There's been a misunderstanding that's all' Amanda explained to him.

'Misunderstanding, my arse!' Joey exclaimed 'Lauren was really upset by what your girlfriend said to her yesterday.' Joey frowned. 'She pretty much told Lauren that I was only with her because I felt guilty for her breakdown and I felt like I owed her something'

'That's not what I meant…' Amanda said with a frown.

'No? Really?' Joey asked her 'So what exactly did you mean then?' he asked her folding his arms over his chest. Lauren stayed on the stage listening, not sure if she should interrupt them.

'You said yourself that you felt guilty about what you put her through' Amanda replied 'I just said that to Lauren…I didn't mean for her to think it was the only reason you were with her. You know what I'm like, I talk first, think later…I swear if I upset Lauren it wasn't my intention. I really like her'

'I'm pretty sure you've ruined any chance of a friendship with her after everything you said to her' Lauren heard Joey say.

'I'll apologise to her' Amanda said. 'Explain things…'

'You stay away from her' Joey growled and took a step towards her. 'You've done enough…' he glared at her menacingly

'Hey! Joey, calm down' Brett said moving between them 'Look, I don't know what's gone on here….'

'Your girlfriend has got a big mouth, that's what' Joey snapped at him. 'She practically told Lauren I was only with her because I felt guilty about what I've put her through and she was the safe option because I didn't care enough about her to be hurt by her' he frowned.

'That's not how I meant it… you know that, Joey' Amanda said softly 'I feel awful Lauren thought that, that she took what I said the wrong way…'

'You should do. She was really upset not to mention pretty angry with me' he glared at her. Brett sighed.

'Okay, so Amanda's sorry about what she said to Lauren, aren't you baby?' he asked her.

'Yes, of course I am' Amanda said. 'I swear I didn't mean anything the way Lauren took it. I really am sorry, Joey' she said to him.

'Joey, Amanda's apologised for what she said and the agro she's caused…so can we move on from this now?' Brett asked them both 'hey?' he asked him. Joey took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

'Fine' he said.

'Good. Now why don't you go find Lauren and take her to lunch and Amanda and I will go and check on the costumes?' he said to him. Joey nodded his head as Brett put his arm around Amanda and he led her onto the stage. Lauren crept down the steps as she heard Brett tell Joey to go find her 'baby, I've told you before you need to think before you talk' he scolded Amanda. 'You know Lauren's been through a lot, she had a breakdown for Christ's sake. She may look better on the outside but on the inside she's still fragile. You don't go round telling people that they're the safe option! What were you thinking…?' Lauren heard Brett say to Amanda as they disappeared of the other side of the stage. Lauren waited for a couple of minutes and then she walked up the steps of the stage just as Joey was coming back on.

'Hey' she said with a smile 'are you ready to go?' she asked him.

'Yeah babe, I am' he nodded his head, slipping his hand into hers.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'How much of that did you hear?' Joey asked her once they were seated in the car.

'I came in with Brett so as much as he did' she replied. 'I'm really sorry Joey, I didn't mean to cause you to fall out with your friend'

'Hey,' Joey shook his head and turned in his seat to look at her 'you have nothing to apologise for. Nothing at all' he told her firmly 'Amanda on the other hand…' he trailed off. 'So how did things go with your dad?' he asked her, changing the subject.

'Good' Lauren replied with a smile 'I saw mum too', we had coffee and cakes, had a catch up, you know' she shrugged 'I know I haven't been away from them for long but it was good to see them'

'It's good that you and your parents are close' he told her 'I wish sometimes I was as close to mine…' he trailed off and he sighed 'well, we should go get food' he told her, shifting in his seat. He put the keys in the ignition and started the engine.

'Can we just go back to yours?' Lauren asked him 'I can make us a sandwich or something' she suggested.

'You don't fancy going out?' he looked at her again. Lauren shook her head.

'Do you mind?' she asked him.

'Well, I'm missing out on a chance to show my girl off, but if she wants to go home then that's what we'll do' he said with a smile.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren followed Joey into the flat. She turned and closed the door, shrugging off her coat, dropping it with her bag onto the table. She moved towards the kitchen, but Joey caught her hand, she turned to look at him and he smiled at her, tugging her out of the room. 'I thought we were getting lunch?' she asked him, a smile forming on her lips.

'We are' he replied as he led her down the hallway towards the bedroom.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter Ninety-five**

The two of them lay on their sides facing each other, Lauren was playing with Joey's fingers. 'What are you thinking about?' Joey asked her.

Lauren lifted her eyes to meet his 'not much' she said shaking her head.

'Are you still worrying about the things Amanda said to you?' his eyes bore into hers.

'A little, I guess' she said. 'And the fight you had with her'

'She was out of line and she knows it' he replied 'don't worry about it' he told her. 'It'll blow over eventually' he said with a shrug.

'Did you tell the boys you were quitting?' she asked him.

'No, I didn't want to do it with the other girls there' he said 'and that's not me putting it off, I promise I'll tell them tomorrow' he said to her with a smile.

'I can go to the bank and get the forms we need to fill in for the loan and dad said he would act as guarantor for me so…'

'You spoke to your dad about it?' Joey asked her.

'Yes. He thought it was a good idea, a good investment. He says he might even be able to rustle up some money for me' she looked down at his fingers and watched as he laced them through hers. 'He said he'd even help us set up a business plan for the bank, so we can show them what we plan to do. We need to try and find some properties first though'

'Your dad sounds great' Joey said 'I wish my dad would be that helpful'

'Maybe you should ask him, run the idea by him and see what he says' Lauren told him 'you don't have anything to lose, do you?'

'Just dignity and pride' he replied.

Lauren shook her head and leant over him, picking up his phone from his bedside table and she held it out to him. 'Give him a call, I'm going to go make us a sandwich' she moved forward and kissed him softly before slipping out of the bed.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Fifteen minutes later he came into the kitchen, just as Lauren was packing everything away. She turned to look at him, unable to read the expression on his face. 'Well?' she asked him 'what did he say?'

'He's coming over. He'll be here in an hour' he told her 'he thinks it's a great idea'

'See' Lauren smiled as she put the bread away and picked up the plates, she walked over to the table she put them down on it. 'We should eat these and then go and get dressed' she told him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror for the 8th time, she was nervous about meeting Derek officially. She walked out into the lounge deciding she would have to do and saw Joey standing at the window, watching for his father's car. He was clearly as nervous about this as she was but for very different reasons. She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist, pressing herself into his back, making him jump. 'Relax, Joey' she said softly.

'Sorry' he said, turning to look at her 'you look great, mind you I think you always look great' he smiled at her 'are you nervous about meeting my dad officially?' he asked her.

'A little, the last time we met I was naked on your kitchen table' she said 'not exactly the first impression I was hoping to make' she said softly.

'He's bound to make some sort of comment about that, just to warn you. He won't be able to help himself' Joey said with a frown.

'Thank you for the heads up' she smiled 'and speaking about meeting parents, mum wants me to invite you to a family dinner one Sunday' she told him, 'you don't have to come if you don't want to…'

'I'd love to, babe' Joey said with a smile. 'Your dad and I can have that chat I know he's dying to have with me'

'He's chilled a lot since then' Lauren told him 'it won't be as bad as you think it will be'

'Mmhmm, I'm sure that's just what he wants you to think' Joey said knowingly. They heard a car pull up and Joey glanced out of the window 'he's here' he said and he swallowed. 'Well I guess there's no turning back now' he said 'you ready?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded her head, reaching up to kiss him softly. 'Go let him in' she said softly.

Joey nodded and let Lauren go and walked across the room to the door, glancing around to see where Popoki was. He heard his father walk up to the door and he opened it and let him in. 'Hi' he said, closing the door once Derek was inside.

'I have to say I was surprised to get your call' he told Joey as he looked around the flat. 'I see you haven't decorated yet or got more furniture'

'I have what I need' he replied, Lauren detected a tone in Joey's voice and knew she needed to step in before things erupted into an argument.

'How about I make some coffee?' she said stepping forward 'Mr Matthews how do you take your coffee?' she asked him.

'Milk no sugar please' he said to her 'and you are?'

'Sorry, dad this is Lauren Branning, my girlfriend' Joey said 'Lauren, my dad Derek Matthews' he introduced them both.

'Nice to meet you...officially' Lauren said holding out her hand to him. Derek looked at her hand and then at Joey. Joey thought for a moment there was going to be tension between them all but Derek smiled and he shook her hand.

'It's nice to meet you too' he smiled at her.

'Well, why don't you two sit down and I'll make the coffees and bring them through' she said and she looked at them both 'Joey?'

His gaze fell to Lauren and he nodded his head 'Coffee would be great, babe' he said with a smile 'dad?' he turned and walked towards the lounge. The two of them sat down on the sofa and Joey gave him the sketch pad that Lauren had drawn up some designs on and he watched nervously as Derek looked through them.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren brought the coffee through on a tray and she set it down on the coffee table. Joey looked up at her with a smile and she took a seat on the arm of the sofa next to him.

'You drew these?' Derek asked looking up at Lauren

'Mmhmm' she nodded her head.

'They're very good' he said to her before turning his attention back to the pictures.

'They're Joey's ideas, he told me what he wanted and I just put it down on paper' she explained. Derek looked at Joey.

'You have a good eye, son' he said to him 'so have you looked around for properties?'

'No, not yet, we only really decided that we would give it a try a couple of days ago' he told his dad 'Lauren's talked to her dad and he's going to help us draw up a business plan for the bank so we can get a loan. I have money from the insurance, and some saved but it's not enough to do what we want to do' he said and he licked his lips 'we're at the early stages of planning right now' Joey told him.

Derek nodded his head 'how much money do you think you'll need?'

'We haven't got that far yet' Joey told him. 'Like I said it's still in the early planning stages'

'Well you let me know how much the shortfall is and I'll put some money towards it' he told Joey and he looked at him with a smile 'I think this is really good idea' he told him.

Joey looked up surprised 'thanks, dad' he said.

'So you plan to do everything from scratch?' he asked them both.

'Yep, pretty much' Joey nodded. 'I can build and the boys can do electrics and plumbing and stuff' he said 'Lauren's the interior designer and she can decorate too' he said with a smile 'she's so much more than a pretty face' he told his father.

'I can see that' Derek nodded his head. 'So how did you two meet?' he asked them.

Lauren and Joey exchanged glances 'it's a long story, dad' Joey told him.

'I'm listening' Derek smiled, picking up a coffee.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Derek stayed for a couple of hours and Lauren found that she liked him. He was funny and took pleasure in telling her stories of things Joey got up to as a small boy, much to Joey's embarrassment. But the father and son seemed to get on better than Lauren thought they would, and looking at Joey's face he seemed to be an equal amount of pleased and surprised. Joey saw Derek to the door and followed him out to the car. 'I like her' Derek said to him.

Joey nodded his head 'I do too' he replied 'a lot' he smiled.

'You have to bring her round soon okay?' he asked her. 'Your mother is going to love her' Derek said and he held out his hand. Joey took it 'I'm proud of you son' he told him as he shook his hand. 'I'll see you soon' he said softly.

'Yeah, thanks dad' he said. He watched his dad get into the car and drive away. Maybe he'd been too hard on his father, maybe his father had learnt his lessons about his shady dealings. All Joey knew was that Derek seemed to have fallen in love with Lauren in much the same way he did when they first met.

He licked his lips and closed the door. 'Well I'd say that was a huge success' Lauren said to him with a smile.

'I would too, thank you' Joey said, sweeping her into his arms.

'You're welcome' she smiled up at him.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter Ninety-six**

Joey took Lauren home the following day, with a promise to call her after the gig and arrange a date. Lauren let herself into the empty house and unpacked her bag and put a load of washing on. She walked into the lounge and looked around. She missed Joey already and they'd only been apart for fifteen minutes. She sighed and went upstairs to get her laptop as well as a pad and paper, she carried everything back downstairs and set herself up on the lounge table and started to look at vacant properties. She'd been working for a good hour when she heard someone at the door. She got up and padded barefoot down the hallway to open the door, discovering Lucy there. 'What do you want?' Lauren said crossing her arms over her chest.

'Hello to you too' Lucy said 'can I come in?'

'Depends' Lauren said

'On what?' Lucy frowned at her.

'Have you stopped being a supreme bitch?'

Lucy sighed and nodded her head 'yes' she replied.

'So there's an apology coming then?' Lauren asked.

'I'm very sorry for being a supreme bitch, Lauren' Lucy said to her 'can I come in now please?'

'I'm busy, Lucy' Lauren said.

'Please? I said I was sorry' Lucy said to her and she pouted and fluttered her eyelashes at Lauren 'please…pretty please?'

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed 'okay fine, on one condition'

'And what's that?'

'You make me lunch'

'You have a deal' Lucy said nodding her head. Lauren let Lucy in and closed the door behind her and went back into the lounge and sat down at the table. Lucy looked at the notepad 'you looking for somewhere to live?' she asked her in surprise.

'Nope. Premises for me and Joey, we're going to open a bar' Lauren announced.

'What? You and Joey are going to open a bar? Here in London? Don't you think that's a little rash?' Lucy asked her 'and besides you don't have any money'

'We're going to get a loan and dad said he would act as a guarantor for me' Lauren said glancing up at Lucy 'and no, I don't think it's a little rash' she frowned at her.

'It's a lot to take on early in a relationship, don't you think?' Lucy said feeling anxious for her friend.

'No, I don't' Lauren shook her head 'and besides we'll be partners in the business and it'll have nothing to do with our relationship'

'What about Joey's other job? The stripping?'

'He's quitting' Lauren told her with a smile 'he's going to tell the boys today' she said.

'He's quitting stripping?'

'Yep' Lauren nodded her head 'he is'

'Wow…he must really love you' Lucy said, stunned.

'Yes he does' Lauren grinned, nodding her head.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey carried the beers to the table and he sat down, handing one to Brett. 'Listen mate, I'm sorry I yelled at Amanda yesterday' Joey said 'she just upset Lauren and…'

'I get it mate' Brett nodded his head and took a sip of beer. 'Amanda's pretty upset by the whole thing. You know what she's like, she talks first and thinks later. She honestly didn't mean to make Lauren think that you weren't serious about her'

Joey nodded his head 'I know'

'She really wants to make amends with Lauren…and with you' Brett told him.

'To be honest I'm not sure that's what Lauren wants' he said to his friend. 'She's been through a lot over the past year…' he trailed off 'listen, I didn't bring you here to talk about Lauren…I wanted to tell you my decision first before I told the others…'

'Sounds ominous' Brett said taking a mouthful of beer before putting his glass down.

'I'm quitting the group' Joey said 'Lauren and I have talked about it and we're going to open a bar in London. We're going do everything from scratch, build it up into what we want it to be' he told him.

'You and Lauren?' he asked him 'did she have something to do with you deciding to quit?' he asked him 'I mean you have to admit that it's come out of the blue'

'She did and she didn't' Joey said 'I can't be a stripper for the rest of my life and Lauren actually made a valid point, she asked me how would I like it if she was a stripper and hundreds of men got to see her naked and fantasise about having sex with her. I have to admit I don't like that idea in the slightest, so I can see where Lauren's coming from' Joey told him 'I'm not going to leave you in the lurch again though, like last time. I'll work through the rest of the gigs we have booked in already'

Brett nodded his head 'that's fair, I guess' he said to him. 'You're going to tell the rest of the boys this afternoon?' he asked him. Joey nodded his head.

'Yep' he said 'I was going to do it yesterday but I didn't want to do it with the girls there'

'Understandable and Lauren probably would've got lynched' Brett said with a laugh. 'You're really serious about her, aren't you?'

Joey nodded his head 'Yeah, mate I am' he told him with a smile 'she's the one'

'Yeah?' Brett looked surprised.

'Yeah, I knew it when I first saw her in Hawaii' he told him 'she was wearing an oversized t-shirt with food stains down the front of it, grey baggy sweatpants and two different coloured flip flops. Her hair was all mussed up, like she hadn't brushed it for a few days, and I knew then' he told him and he smiled as he remembered the exchange between the two of them 'she'd been hassled by some guy at the bar for the good part of an hour so when I went to get her glass back she assumed I was just another bloke hitting on her' he said 'she thought I was gay because I said I didn't want to sleep with her' he told him

'So when did you sleep with her for the first time?' Brett asked him.

'The next day' Joey said with a grin.

'Joseph Matthews, you dirty dog!' Brett grinned at him 'what happened to the Joey I knew, the one who likes to get to know someone first before getting all down and dirty with them?' he teased his friend 'I thought Mel was the first girl you threw away your rule book for'

'I was drunk when I was with Mel. With Lauren it was different, I didn't plan for it happen so quickly and neither did Lauren. We were both taken by surprise'

'So the two of you hit it off instantly?' Brett asked him.

'Pretty much yeah' Joey nodded his head.

'So what happened to you swearing off women for good?' he asked him.

'Lauren's nothing like Sarah' Joey said shaking his head 'she's been cheated on before… like me, I know she would never cheat on me and I would never cheat on her' he said, licking his lips and he took a deep breath.

'You've got it bad, haven't you?' Brett grinned.

'Yeah, I have' he nodded his head 'and it's a great feeling' he smiled.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me with a review. x**


	98. Chapter 98

**Chapter Ninety- seven**

Lauren heard the front door open and then close followed by footsteps into the lounge. 'I know you' Max said to her as he walked in 'I have a daughter who looks just like you'

'Ha, ha funny guy' Lauren smiled as she looked up at him 'and we saw each other yesterday' she reminded him.

'Oh, that's right, we did' he said grinning back at her. 'When did you get back?'

'This morning' she said, looking back at the laptop screen.

'And what have you been doing?'

'Looking at potential properties and making a list of things Joey and I will need to do' she told him.

'Yeah?' Max asked her 'so have you found somewhere?'

'There are a few properties that I think might have potential, but some of them are really cheap which either means there's something wrong with the area they're in or they need a lot of work doing to them' she said 'others are really overpriced. So I'm only shortlisting middle range prices' she said to him.

'Have you made any appointments to go and view them?' he asked her.

'No, not yet. I wanted to wait to see what Joey thought and find out when he's free' she told him 'he still had to rehearse for some gigs'

'Rehearse?' Max asked her 'Is he in a band?'

Lauren looked up at him with a frown 'what no, he's not in a band' she shook her head 'why would you think he was in a band?'

'You said he needed to rehearse' he said to her.

'Did I?' she asked him, her cheeks turning pink.

'Mmhmm' Max nodded his head.

'I'm going to make a coffee. Do you want a coffee?' she asked him, pushing the chair away with the back of her knees as she got up. Max frowned as she walked into the kitchen. She was clearly hding something, so he followed her.

'No, you definitely said he was rehearsing…so rehearsing for what?' he asked her.

Lauren took a deep breath and she turned to look at her dad. 'Can you just forget that I said anything?'

'Nope, I've heard it now' he told her 'Spill'

Lauren closed her eyes and she sighed 'Joey's a stripper' she told him

'He's a what?' Max looked at her surprise evident on his face.

'He's a male stripper' Lauren repeated 'but he's telling the boys that he's giving it up so he can run the bar with me' she told him with a small smile.

'Joey's a male stripper?' Max said with a smile 'does he…go all the way? Does your mother know?'

Lauren raised an eyebrow 'do you really think mum would've been able to keep that little snippet of information to herself if she'd known?' Lauren asked him.

Max shook his head 'I'm so looking forward to seeing Joey again' Max grinned at his daughter.

'If you say anything or crack jokes about stripping I will disown you, I swear' Lauren scowled at him. 'I'm being serious!' she exclaimed when Max started laughing.

'Alright, relax. I won't mention it' he told her as she turned back to making the coffee.

'Good, thank you' she said with a smile.

'Can I just ask one question?'

'Shoot' Lauren said reaching for the coffee jar.

'Does he strip naked?'

Lauren closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, hesitating before she answered 'yes' she replied.

'Have you…been to a show?' he asked her.

'Nope' Lauren said to him.

Max frowned at her 'why not?'

'Because I've already seen Joey naked' Lauren told him with a smirk on her face as she turned round to look at him 'In fact I've done more than see him naked. I've done naked things with Joey…lots and lots of naked things' she teased her father. Max's face turned red and Lauren giggled as he covered his ears with his hands.

'Hey! Too much information, thank you!' he said loudly and he turned and walked out of the room humming loudly, leaving Lauren giggling in the kitchen.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren took a deep breath as she stood outside the large building, she watched the throngs of people going inside and she chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if she'd made the right decision. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then opened the door and went inside. The place was heaving, not that she'd expected it not to be. She was fairly certain one or two fire regulations were being broken by the building owners though, there seemed to be too many people inside for such a small building. She paused at the bar and managed to get a drink fairly quickly and then she headed towards her seat. She sank down into it gratefully, after having pushed her way through the crowds of people and took a sip of her wine. She glanced around to see if there was anyone there she recognised, feeling relieved when there wasn't. The lights dimmed suddenly and music started to play and she turned towards the stage.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren moved to the bar near the end of the show so she could leave before everyone else did. Once outside, she walked around to the back of the building. She saw Joey's car parked behind the theatre and she walked over to it and leant against it, waiting for him to come out. As she waited she grew anxious he wouldn't be pleased to see her, as they hadn't arranged to meet. She wondered if he would be annoyed with her for just showing up unannounced. She frowned and pulled her phone out of her bag and scrolled through the numbers wondering if her dad would come and pick her up this late. She was about to press dial when the door opened and a roar of laughter filled her ears. She looked up and saw the boys come out, Joey in the middle of them.

'So are we going back to yours?' Brett asked Joey 'yours is the closest'

'Yeah, why not' Joey nodded his head. 'Who wants a lift?' he turned round to look at everyone as he walked backwards.

'Oh…looks like you got another groupie' someone said looking directly at Lauren. She knew they couldn't see it was her but she felt embarrassed nonetheless and suddenly wished she hadn't come. She turned and started to walk away, thinking about how she was going to get home. It was too late to call her dad and she didn't have money for a cab. She'd already missed the last train so she would just have to walk home. It'd only take her a couple of hours 'looks like I scared her off' the same voice said 'Where you going, darling?' he called after her. 'We don't bite!'

'Speak for yourself!' someone else said causing everyone to burst into laughter again. Lauren practically ran round the corner and walked quickly away.She saw Joey's car drive past her a few moments later and she let out a deep breath of relief.

Lauren had been walking for half an hour and for the last twenty minutes it had been raining hard and she was soaked through. She wished she'd thought to bring a coat, even an umbrella. This journey home was going to be long and wet and she would be surprised if she didn't come down with a bad cold in the days to come.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Amanda left the club half an hour later, after sorting out the boys costumes and clearing up backstage and she headed towards Joey's house at Brett's insistence, she wasn't looking forward to it if she was being truthful but she knew she had to start mending bridges sooner or later. The rain was coming down in droves and it was difficult to see through it to drive. As she turned a corner her headlights hit on a group of boys in a circle, gathered around someone. She frowned as she drove past wondering what they were up to, she glanced back in her review view mirror and saw a figure run out of the centre and the boys give chase, catching them and holding them in place. Amanda checked the road was clear and then she completed a u-turn and headed back towards the group. She drove towards them, flicking her lights on full beam and sounding her horn, startling the youths who in turn looked up at the source of the noise and then ran off in various different directions. Amanda watched as the figure on the ground got to their feet and looked towards the car. Amanda glanced around to see if the boys were still around but she couldn't see them. The figure walked towards the car and as she moved out of the headlights Amanda saw it was Lauren.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, back tomorrow, Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter Ninety-eight**

Amanda pressed the button on the driver's door and the window dropped 'Lauren!?' she said 'get in the car' she told her. Lauren ran round to the passenger's side and got in, she was shivering with cold and soaked through. Amanda shut the window and locked the doors. 'Are you okay?' she asked her 'what was going on?'

'They wanted to show me a good time apparently' Lauren whispered quietly as she pulled the seatbelt on.

'Let's get you somewhere you can get dry' Amanda said and she turned the car around and headed back the way she was going. Lauren recognised Joey's when the car pulled up outside. Amanda climbed out of the car and ran round to the passenger door and opened it, helping Lauren out. From the light of the car she saw Lauren had a cut on her head 'you're bleeding' Amanda said, Lauren reached up and touched her head and looked at her fingers. She saw blood on them and she frowned.

'I think I hit my head on the ground' she told Amanda.

'Let's get you inside' Amanda said to her, putting her arm around her and leading her to the door. She rang the bell and a few moments later it was opened by Brett.

'I was wondering where you'd got to…' he said to Amanda trailing off when he saw Lauren. 'What's happened to you?' he asked Lauren. Amanda looked at him with a frown on her face.

'Will you move out of the way so we can come inside? She's soaking wet' Amanda told him.

'Of course…sorry' he said, stepping aside to let them both in 'I'll go find Joey' he told them both.

Amanda shut the door and she turned to face Lauren, she had a cut on her head and her nose was bleeding. 'Let's get you through to the bathroom, hey?' Lauren nodded and let Amanda lead her through to the bathroom. Amanda closed the toilet seat and sat Lauren down on it, grabbing a towel off the rack and handing it to her. Turning and finding a robe on the back of the door, she pulled it off and turned back to Lauren, 'get undressed and put this on' she told her 'I'll go see what's taking Brett so long in finding Joey' she told Lauren 'and I'll find the first aid kit'

'It's under the kitchen sink' Lauren said as she took the robe from her.

'Okay, I'll be right back' she told Lauren and she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Lauren stripped off her clothes including her underwear and pulled on the robe. She turned to the mirror and looked at her face, pulling some toilet paper off the roll she wiped her nose. She heard a faint knock on the door and then it opened and Amanda came inside. 'Joey's gone on a beer run' she told Lauren. 'He should be back in half an hour or so' she told her 'Brett's making you a coffee. Now let's get you cleaned up' she said with a smile.

'Thank you' Lauren said softly. 'I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't driven by or stopped…'

'Well we don't need to think about that now, do we?' Amanda said shaking her head as she opened the first aid box. 'Now let's get you cleaned up' she said with a smile.

Half an hour later the two of them were in Joey's bedroom, Brett had brought them both a coffee and Lauren had put some of Joey's clothes on and was currently sitting in his bed with the covers up to her waist and she was beginning to warm up, she and Amanda were talking when the bedroom door opened and Joey came in.

'Babe? What happened?' he asked shutting the door behind him.

'I'll leave you two to talk' Amanda said climbing off the bed and leaving the room quietly. Joey walked over to the bed and sat down, not even acknowledging Amanda.

'Joey, I'm fine' Lauren said to him softly, seeing the concern in his eyes. 'Amanda rescued me and patched me up' she told him.

'Rescued you? Patched you up?' his eyes moved to the plaster on her head 'what happened?' he asked her again.

Lauren sighed 'A group of guys were hassling me as I walking home, they jostled me and I fell to the floor, hit my face on the pavement, Amanda was driving past and she saw it and scared them away and then brought me here' she explained.

'What were you doing so far away from Walford?' he asked her. 'And why in the hell were you walking home alone all that way?'

'I missed the last train and I didn't have money for a taxi…I saw the show' she said to him 'you were really good' she told him with a proud smile.

'You came to see the show?' he frowned at her 'why didn't you tell me? I could've taken you home…Wait…Was that you by my car?' he asked her, she nodded her head 'why did you take off like that?'

Lauren shrugged, 'I don't know' she said and she looked down. 'I just…I didn't really think things through…' she said with a sigh. 'I didn't know if you wanted to see me and…'

'Not want to see you? Of course I want to see you' Joey said softly 'You're my girlfriend. I want to see you every day'

'You do?' she looked up at him a little surprised. Joey nodded his head as a smile spread across his face

'Of course I do' he replied 'in fact, I've been thinking you should move in with me' he told her 'if you want to…?'

'Are you serious?' Lauren said sitting up straighter. He nodded his head and she squealed and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, causing Joey to almost lose his balance.

'So was that a yes?' he asked her with a laugh and she nodded her head.

'Yes' she whispered in his ear, kissing his neck 'it's a yes' Joey grinned and he pushed her back onto the bed and moved over her. His fingers traced the edge of the plaster and he looked down at her.

'Are you sure you're okay?' he asked her. Lauren smiled and nodded her head once.

'I am now' she replied.

'Good' Joey bent down and kissed her softly. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth and they both groaned softly. 'We'll have to celebrate later, right now we have a houseful of guests' he told her reluctantly pulling away from her. 'Do you want to stay here or come out and join the party?' he asked her.

'A party sounds like fun' she replied.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

'I know I said we'd celebrate later but I'm shattered babe' Joey told her as he stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed into bed, Lauren moved into his arms, laying her head on his chest.

'It is pretty late' she said glancing at his bedside clock 'it's almost 4:00am'

'And we have dinner at your parents later' Joey whispered, his eyes already closing.

'Mmhmm' Lauren replied, they were both quiet and then Lauren felt Joey's arms tighten around her.

'Love you, Lauren' he murmured and pressed his lips to her head.

'Love you too Joey' she replied.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Back tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a review. x**


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter Ninety-nine**

Lauren woke up feeling soft lips travelling over her neck and throat. She smiled and stretched in the bed and her eyes flickered open just as Joey pulled back to look at her. 'Morning gorgeous' Joey murmured softly.

'Morning' Lauren replied with a smile.

'What time do we have to be at your parents?' he asked her softly.

'Dinner's usually at 1:00pm' she replied.

'Then we have some time to kill' he lowered his head and brushed his nose against hers before capturing her lips in a long deep kiss. Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him back hungrily. 'Plus I believe we have some celebrating to do' he whispered softly against her lips. 'Unless you've changed your mind?' he asked her pulling back to look at her. Lauren smiled shaking her head.

'I haven't changed my mind' she replied 'and celebrating sounds like fun, but I really need to go to the bathroom…'

'Okay' Joey said letting her go. She scampered out of bed and darted to the bathroom. When she returned, Joey was sitting up in the bed, he flicked the covers back as she closed the bedroom door behind her. She walked to the edge of the bed and slipped the t-shirt she was wearing off her body, leaving herself naked to his gaze. He smiled at her as she slid back into the bed and into his arms. 'Hey' he smiled at her.

'Hey' she smiled back at him, moving forward and pressing her lips against his. Joey let her deepen the kiss and then she straddled him, his hands moved to her hips and slid up the sides of her body to cup her breasts. He brushed his thumbs over them and she moaned, breaking the kiss, Joey moved forward taking one peak into his mouth as he rolled the other nipple between his fingers and thumb, he pinched it at the same time he began sucking harder on her breast and Lauren gasped loudly. He switched his mouth to her other breast and whilst he was sucking and lathing it with his tongue he slid one hand down her body and between her legs. His fingers moved over her folds and he was pleased to discover she was wet. He released her breast from his lips, reaching up to cup her head and pulling her down to a kiss, his tongue plunged into her mouth as he thrust 3 fingers inside her causing her to moan into his mouth. His thumb moved to her clit and he began to rub firmly. A few moments later she broke the kiss as her orgasm ripped through her. Joey pulled her back into another kiss and flipped them so he was above Lauren. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he positioned himself at her entrance and pressed forward, sliding into her in one swift movement, causing both of them to moan, he bent his head and lathed her nipple with his tongue, taking it into his mouth and sucking on it gently. Lauren moaned and arched her back, egging him on.

'JOEY! JOEY! JOEY!' she cried out as her climax hit her. Joey groaned as he felt her contracting around him, her orgasm triggering his, he pulsed inside her five times as he cried out her name.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Joey shook Lauren gently and smiled as her eyes fluttered open 'we need to get ready to go to your parents' he told her softly, bending his head to give her a kiss.

'Already?' she asked him in surprise. 'I thought we were celebrating?' she asked him, turning her head to glance at the clock.

'We did, then you fell asleep' Joey replied. 'I think I must've worn you out'

Lauren nodded her head 'you can wear me out like anytime you like' she said reaching forward and kissing him softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Lauren carefully applied her makeup, making sure she didn't get any in the cut on her face, she'd covered the bruise with foundation and then styled her hair so it hung over her forehead, effectively hiding the cut from view. She walked into the lounge, where Joey was waiting for her and he smiled at her. 'Ready to go, babe?' he asked her.

She nodded her head, smiling back at him 'you can't see my head, right' she asked him a little worriedly. He shook his head 'good' she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was for her parent to see it and knowing her dad, he would jump straight in and accuse Joey without waiting for the explanation of what happened.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Tanya looked up from the recipe book as the front door opened and closed. 'Max, is that you?' she called out.

'Nope, it's me' Lauren called back as she shrugged off her coat and draped it over the bannister 'where's dad?'

'Gone to the Minute mart to get some mint sauce. I hope Joey like leeks' she called through 'and lamb and mint sauce' she added as an afterthought. 'It would've been nice for you to have been here to give me a hand this morning. I have no idea if Joey even likes half the stuff I'm planning to cook'

'I'm sure he'll love it, mum' she said, turning and grinning at Joey as she took his head, she led him towards the kitchen.

'Can you go chase your father up please, no doubt he's been waylaid by the Vic' she said with a tone in her voice that Lauren knew only too well.

'Sure' Lauren said nodding her head. 'There's someone I'd like you to meet…officially' she said to her. Tanya looked up from her book to see Lauren and a boy she recognised in the door way. 'Mum, this is Joey Matthews, Joey this is my mum, Tanya Branning'

'It's nice to see you again' Joey said holding his free hand out to her, the other one was holding Lauren's tightly.

Tanya blinked at them both and wiped her hands on her apron skirt and took Joey's hand and shook it. 'You too' she smiled at him, she looked at Lauren 'you could've told me he was here so I didn't make a fool of myself'

'You didn't, Mrs Branning. I pretty much eat anything' Joey told her with a smile 'is there anything I can do to help?' he asked her.

'No thank you, I've got it all covered, why don't you go into the lounge? Can I get you a drink?'

'We're good thanks' Joey said glancing at Lauren.

'I'll go find dad, let you two get to know each other a little bit' Lauren said and she looked up at Joey and she smiled at him 'I'll be back in a few minutes' she told him.

'Okay babe' Joey smiled down at her, Lauren reached up and kissed him softly. Tanya heard the front door close and Joey walked into the kitchen. 'How about I make the Yorkshire pudding?' he asked her, glancing at the recipe she was looking at.

'Oh no, you're a guest…' Tanya shook her head.

'Please, I'd like to' he told her with a smile. Tanya blinked at him a few times and then nodded her head.

'Okay thank you' she said 'and no more of this Mrs Branning nonsense, I thought we agreed you call me Tanya' she smiled.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, back tomorrow. Dont forget to leave me a review.**


	101. Chapter 101

**Chapter One hundred**

Lauren walked into the Vic and saw her dad there with her uncle Jack. 'I might've known I'd find you in here' Lauren said to him as she walked up to him and leant against the bar 'got lost on the way to the Minute Mart did ya?' she teased her dad.

'Oi! Cheeky!' Max said with a smile 'you came home then?' he asked her and she nodded her head.

'Yep' she said 'mum's at the house with Joey'

'Ah, the infamous Joey' Jack said 'finally brought him home, have you?'

'Under duress… but yes' Lauren smiled at him 'mum is pulling her hair out, dad, she needs the stuff she asked you to get' Lauren told him.

'Alright, alright I'm coming' Max picked up his glass and drained it. 'See you later, Jack' he said with a smile.

'You will' he nodded his head.

Lauren picked up one of the bags and they walked back to the house. 'Found him mum' Lauren called out.

'About bloody time!' Tanya appeared in the kitchen doorway 'Maxwell Branning, I'll throttle you' she said, marching out of the room and grabbing the bag from him.

'Sorry, Jack forced me to go into the Vic' he said to her 'you know what he's like' Tanya rolled her eyes as the three of them moved into the kitchen.

'I know what you're like' she replied.

Max saw Joey working away in the kitchen and he smiled 'got him trained already, have you?' he looked at Lauren with a wink.

'I try' she grinned back at him 'okay so you two have kind of already met, dad, Joey. Joey, my dad Max Branning'

'Mr Branning' Joey nodded his head 'I'd shake hands but…' he held up his flour covered hands apologetically.

'No worries' he said with a smile. 'We have plenty of time to talk later' he told him.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

After dinner, Lauren and Tanya retired to the lounge whilst Max and Joey went into the kitchen to clean up. Lauren was worried about the conversation that the two men in her life were having. Tanya noticed she was watching the door and she smiled at her daughter.

'There's no raised voices, there are no plates breaking…I think they're getting on fine' she told Lauren. Lauren looked at her and smiled, nodding her head.

'You're right…dad's not exactly one for keeping his temper in check, is he?' she asked her mother.

'No he isn't' Tanya smiled 'things with you and Joey seem to be going well' she said to her and Lauren nodded her head again.

'They really are. He's asked me to move in with him' she said, looking at her mother to gauge her reaction.

'Already?' Tanya asked her in surprise 'and what did you say?' she asked her daughter.

'I said yes' Lauren told her with a smile 'I know it might seem too soon to you and dad but I've known Joey for a long while and yes we haven't been together for long but…he makes me happy mum, really happy'

'I can see that, darling' she said with a smile 'and if you want to move in with him then that's up to you, you have my blessing…not that you need it' she added quickly 'you're a grown woman now, you don't need my permission or your father's for that matter' at the mention of her dad Lauren looked towards the kitchen door again, suddenly anxious. 'Why don't you go see how they're getting on?' Tanya suggested gently.

Lauren nodded her head and walked through to the kitchen, surprised to find them sitting at the kitchen table with a beer. The washing and wiping up all done. 'What are you two doing?' Lauren asked them both.

'Having a post dinner beer' Max said to her 'thought we'd leave you and your mum to chat' he told her with a wink at Joey.

'Well mum and I are all chatted out so…' she looked at them both expectantly.

'We'll be through in a minute, babe' Joey told her with a smile.

'You'd better be or I'm sending mum in' she told them both and she walked out of the room, she went back to Tanya. 'They'll be out in a while, they're talking and drinking beer' she explained. 'I'm going to go upstairs, can you send Joey up when he eventually comes out?'

'Of course, honey' Tanya said softly.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Half an hour later, Joey went up the stairs to find Lauren, he pushed open her bedroom door and saw her lying on the bed. She smiled at him as he came into the room. 'I thought you'd be up here packing' he said to her 'instead I find you being a lazy girl' he walked over to the bed and he climbed on behind her, sliding one hand around her waist to rest on her stomach and he pulled her back against him, grinding himself into her bottom.

'Joey!' Lauren giggled 'Stop it'

'I'm horny. I can't help it' he replied, thrusting against her.

'Joey… stop…you're like a puppy humping my leg!' she said reaching behind her to slap his thigh. Joey started to pant and he leant over and licked her cheek 'ew! That's just gross' she told him with a frown as she wiped her cheek with her hand. He started to "hump" her again and she giggled. 'JOEY!' she slapped him again, the contact with his leg making her hand sting. Behind her Joey stilled and he growled at her. He leant forward and bit her gently on the shoulder. 'Did you just bite me?' she asked him.

'No' he lied 'course not' he said shaking her head, she shifted and rolled over to look at him, he moved forward and pecked her on the lips. 'So how come you're not packing?' he asked her 'have you changed you mind about moving in with me?'

'No, of course not' she said shaking her head. 'I just…I haven't told dad yet, or Abi' she said.

'I thought Abi would be here. When I do I get to meet the infamous, impressionable little sister?' he asked her.

'She might be back later' she said, looked down at the buttons on Joey's shirt, she reached out to play with one. 'I was thinking maybe I'd spend a few more days here while I pack things up' she said to him. 'And then I can move in with you'

'So you want to stay here tonight?' he asked her. She nodded her head. 'But…but I'm horny…I've been horny all day and I was looking forward to us going back to the flat. You know so we could do that thing that we do'

'What thing that we do?' Lauren asked him with a small frown.

'You know…that naked thing that we do' Joey said and he moved forward and kissed her softly.

'Oh that thing' Lauren replied, Joey rolled her so she was on her back. 'I like doing that thing' she smiled up at him.

'I do too…lots' he said kissing her softly 'please…you have to come home with me tonight…I need you…I want you…' he murmured, 'please baby…come home with me' he ground against her again.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back soon. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	102. Chapter 102

**Chapter One hundred and one**

'Joe….' Lauren whined softly. 'You're not playing fair'

'I know' he said 'I just don't want to be without you for another night' he told her. 'Besides, I told your dad you were moving in with me when we were talking in the kitchen' he told her casually 'and he's okay with it' he told her.

'Really?' she asked him 'he said that?'

'Yep, he just wants you to be happy' Joey said kissing her softly again before moving his lips to her cheek and then her neck 'and he knows that I make you happy' he told her 'I do make you happy, don't I?' he asked her softly.

'Yes, you know you do' Lauren whispered, sliding one hand into his hair.

'So come home with me tonight' Joey said pulling back to look at her.

'Okay, fine. But then I have to come back here and pack up my things properly' she told him.

'Deal. You can borrow the car and I can get Brett to ferry me around everywhere I need to go' he said to her with a smile.

'So what else did you and dad talk about?' Lauren asked him, wondering if Max had questioned him about his stripping.

'This and that' he said kissing her again.

'Like what?' Lauren asked. Joey groaned and pulled away from her and rolled onto his back.

'You really want to talk about this now?' he asked with a sigh 'I'm trying to get lucky here'

'I'm sorry' she said sitting up, turning to look down at him 'I want you and dad to get on and…'

'We did' Joey told her. 'I promise. I apologised for what happened and explained my history with women. I told him I loved you and…'

'You told my dad that you loved me?' Lauren asked him with a small smile on her face.

'Yeah, course I did' he nodded his head, turning his head to look at her as he put his hands behind his head 'why wouldn't I?' he asked her 'it's the truth isn't it?'

Lauren moved so she was straddling him, placing both her hands either side of his head on the pillow. 'Are you sure about me moving in?' she asked him 'and about setting up the business with me?' she asked him seriously.

'I'm sure about you' he told her softly 'sure about us, whatever we do together I can't imagine that it won't be successful, personally I think we make a good team' he told her with a smile. Lauren licked her lips and lowered her lips to his, kissing him softly. 'Does that mean we're done talking? Can we have sex now?' he asked her.

Lauren giggled and she shook her head 'we are not having sex, Joey' she told him and she stole another kiss and climbed off him and stood up. She walked across the room and pulled out one of her suitcases from the bottom of the wardrobe and put it on the desk. Joey watched her as she emptied her underwear drawer into it and then pulled out some clothes from the wardrobe and put those in too. Joey smiled as she packed.

'So does this mean you're coming home with me tonight… and we can have sex?' he asked her.

'Yes, Joey' Lauren nodded her head. She heard the bed creak as he climbed off it and then felt his arms wind around her waist, pulling her back against him 'lots of sex?' he asked as he kissed her neck tenderly. 'I don't have anything else to do all day …so we could spend the day in bed...' Lauren smiled as she felt his lips on her neck. 'You know the sooner I pack….' she trailed off. Joey sighed and moved away from her.

'So what time are we leaving?' he asked her softly.

'Not for a while yet' Lauren said glancing over her shoulder and smiling at Joey.

 ***XX*XX*XX*XX***

Later, Lauren and Joey and her dad were sitting at the table in the lounge. He was talking to them both about the business plan they needed to put together before they went to the bank to ask for a loan. Joey smiled as he saw Lauren making notes on her notepad as her dad spoke. She was really taking this seriously, not that he wasn't, but it gave him a fair idea of who was going to be in charge of things and he didn't mind that. He would happily do whatever Lauren told him to do. 'So, how much money do you have to put forward?' Max asked Joey.

'Dad!' Lauren exclaimed, shocked by his question.

'Just shy of £95K' Joey said. 'And that will go up by another 5 to 10 grand with some of the jobs I have lined up' Joey told him.

'So about £100K then?' Max said and Joey nodded his head. Lauren turned to look at Joey, obviously surprised he had that much money, she turned to look at her dad and scowled at him in warning, knowing he wanted to ask Joey what it was he did for living, even though he knew.

'Well, your mum and I have been taking and we have some money to give to you' he said, stifling a giggle at the look on Lauren's face.

'No dad' Lauren shook her head.

'You remember your mum's friend Rose?' he asked Lauren, she nodded her head

'She died a couple of years ago' she recalled.

'She did and she left us some money' Max said to her. 'It's taken a while for the probate to be settled but we got a couple of cheques through last weekend, One of them was for you and one for your mum and me, and we've decided to give you our share' he said standing up and walking to the bureau, opening the door and reaching inside. He returned to the table, sitting down and he pushed the envelope towards Lauren. 'Open it then' he said after she spent several minutes staring at it.

She picked up the envelope, turning it over and ripping it open. She pulled out two cheques, the first one was made out to her for £10k. The second one was also made out to her from her parent's joint bank account and was for £25K. 'Dad, this is too much' she said softly, shaking her head 'I can't take this' she held the larger cheque out to him.

'You can and you will' Max said firmly. 'You mum and I have talked about it and we want you to have it. We're very proud of you Lauren' he told her 'and we think what you and Joey are planning to do is very ambitious and we know it's going to cost money and we have it to give to you now, when you need it' he said to her 'your mum and I have no doubt that you and Joey won't have any problems in making this bar a roaring success' he told her with a smile 'and if we can help…' he trailed off.

Lauren looked at him and then got up off her chair and wrapped her arms around him. 'Thank you, dad' she whispered softly 'I love you'

'I love you too' he replied hugging her back tightly.

 **AN: Thank you for your reviews...back soon. Don't forget to leave me a review. x**


	103. Chapter 103

**Chapter One Hundred and two**

Max left the two of them alone and Lauren was showing Joey the pictures of the buildings she'd found. Joey was impressed with the amount of work she'd done, especially when she showed him the different types of loans with several banks they could potentially apply for. He felt a little bit bad that he'd done nothing, but Lauren reassured him she'd got more time on her hands so it made sense she was the one who'd done some of the groundwork and she'd pointed out there was a lot more to do before they would be ready to go to a bank and ask for a loan and that made Joey feel a bit better.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Max insisted on taking them all to the Vic for a drink before the two of them left. Max and Joey went to the bar and Lauren and her mum sat down at a table waiting for them. 'So, you're leaving tonight?' she asked her.

'Sort of, I've packed some clothes up' Lauren said 'but there's still loads of stuff that I have here and I need to figure out where all my stuff is going to fit into Joey's flat. Not that he has a lot of furniture' she said with a slight shake of her head. 'The hut he lived in in Hawaii had a bed, a chest of drawers, a bathroom, a mini fridge and that was all' she told her mum 'and it was kind of perfect, it's all he needed. He used to eat for free at the restaurants, I guess people had enough money to be able to do that…with the tourists' she said thoughtfully. 'And the bar was doing well'

'You sound like you miss it…Hawaii, I mean' Tanya said and Lauren turned to look at her.

'Yeah I do. The Hawaii that I first saw…the one I went back to after the tsunami…that one, not so much' she frowned slightly, looking up as her dad and boyfriend brought their drinks over.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey carried Lauren's suitcase into the flat and through to the bedroom. He put it down on the bed and turned to see Lauren in the doorway. 'Well, I think I need to make some space for your clothes' he said to her 'in the drawers and the closet'

'That would be good' Lauren said walking over to the bed and climbing onto it, laying down. Joey looked at her.

'You still tired?' Joey asked her. Lauren nodded her head.

'And I feel all achy' she told him softly.

'You do?' he asked her with a frown. He sat down on the bed, reaching over and placing his hand on her forehead 'you feel hot' he said 'maybe you're coming down with something'

'Maybe' she nodded her head in agreement.

'Okay. Well I think you need to get into bed and try to get some sleep' he told her 'I can sort out the space for you tomorrow' he said to her. 'In the mean time I can make a start on writing outlines for the business plan'

'Okay' Lauren nodded her head. Joey bent down and kissed her forehead before putting the suitcase on the floor. He left the room, closing the door behind him. When Joey went to bed a few hours later, Lauren was fast asleep. He felt her head again and she was still hot to touch. He was concerned she was sick after being caught in the rain on Saturday night. He lay his head on the pillow and hoped that in the morning she would feel better. And if she didn't he would take care of her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Lauren woke up the next morning she felt awful. She climbed out of the bed and padded through to the bathroom. She climbed back into the bed just as Joey woke up 'Hey, babe, how do you feel?' he asked her softly.

'Crappy' she told him. 'My nose is blocked up and my throat is sore'

Joey looked at her, reaching over and touching her cheek and forehead 'you're still hot' he looked at her in concern. 'I'll get dressed and pop down the shops and get you some things and then I'll call Brett and tell him I can't make rehearsals today, so I can stay here and take care of you'

'No…' Lauren shook her head 'I'm sure if I sleep for a bit longer I'll be okay' she told him 'don't make a fuss' she closed her eyes.

'Are you sure? I don't mind?'

'I'm probably just going to sleep all day' she mumbled into the pillow.

'Okay. But if you need anything, you call me' he told her firmly. 'I'll shower and get dressed and then bring you some tea' he said.

''Kay' she murmured.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey checked on Lauren before he left the flat. She was fast asleep and the tea he'd brought through to her earlier had gone cold. He carried it back through to the kitchen, pouring it away. He hoped she would feel better when she woke up later in the day. He left her a note on her bedside table asking her to call him when she woke up and tell him how she felt so he would know whether or not he needed to stop off at the chemist to get some supplies for her.

He got a phone call at 3:30pm and she sounded awful, in between her bouts of coughing and sneezing and groaning, he got the overall impression that she was really sick, not that he didn't think she was beforehand, but her call confirmed it. He promised he would leave rehearsals early and stop off at the chemist and get her some cough medicine, tissues and throat sweets.

Lauren felt awful after she'd finished talking to Joey, her first day of living with him and she was sick so he was going to have to take care of her. She would talk to him about him taking her back to her parents when he got home, she lay back down in the bed and closed her eyes, promptly falling asleep again.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Sorry for no updates...I've had a headache for a few days which I am pleased to say is now finally gone... (touch wood)...anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter, back soon. Dont forget to leave me a review.**


	104. Chapter 104

**Chapter One hundred and three**

Joey let himself into the flat at 4:30pm, with two carrier bags of supplies for Lauren. Popoki galloped through the room, obviously pleased to see Joey, miaowing frantically. Joey glanced down at her. 'Hello you' he said softly. 'I'll come and see you in a little while, I need to take care of Lauren first' he told her and he walked past her and made his way into the bedroom. Popoki followed him and as he sat down on the bed she scrambled up onto it and Lauren stirred and woke up. 'Hey' Joey smiled at her, 'how do you feel?' he asked her 'any better?' Lauren shook her head sadly.

'I feel worse than I did when I spoke to you earlier' she told him in a croak. Joey could hear the hoarseness in her voice and saw how red her nose and eyes were. She looked a mess, but he thought she looked sexy.

'I got a few things for you' he told her as he opened one of the carrier bags. 'Cough medicine, throat sweets, tissues that are embalmed with some sort of soothing agent for your nose' he said as he pulled the things out of the bag one by one, 'some Olbus oil for your blocked nose that the woman behind the counter recommended and some magazines for you to read if you feel up to it' he placed them down on the bed beside her.

'Thank you' she said with small smile 'listen, I was thinking… maybe you should take me home' she told him.

Joey blinked at her 'what do you mean?' he asked her 'you are home? Unless you've changed your mind about moving in with me?' he frowned at her.

'No, of course not' Lauren shook her head and grabbed a tissue as she sneezed and then had a coughing fit. Popoki hissed at her and lashed out with her claws, catching Lauren's hand.

'Bad Popoki!' Joey scolded the kitten and he scooped her up and dropped her onto the floor. Joey looked at Lauren's hand 'I want you to stay here, just because you're sick doesn't mean that I've changed my mind. I can take care of you' he told her softly, he dabbed at the blood on her hand with a tissue. 'I want to take care of you. I've already told Brett and the boys that I'm not rehearsing tomorrow and I'll let them know about the rest of the week' Lauren looked up at him as she lay her head back on the pillow. 'But if you want me to take you back to your parents, I will' he told her.

'I don't want to be a burden' she replied.

Joey shook his head 'you're not a burden Lauren' he promised her 'people get sick' he said 'it's not your fault is it?' he asked her, she shook her head. 'Have you had anything to eat or drink?'

'No' Lauren shook her head again 'I get dizzy when I get out of bed'

'Are you hungry?' he asked her.

'A little bit but my throat is sore…'

'I have just the thing for that, some soup' he said with a smile 'and some nice honey and lemon with a secret ingredient to help you sleep, do you need anything else or shall I go heat up some soup?'

'Just soup please' Lauren told him.

'Okay, I'll be right back' he told her and he reached forward and kissed her on the forehead.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was sitting on the sofa a few days later when his father stopped by for an unannounced visit. He sighed as he opened the door 'dad, you could've called first' Joey told him.

'Sorry, I wasn't sure I would have time to stop by. I wanted to give you this' he said and he held out an envelope to him.

'What's this?' Joey asked taking the envelope from him, letting his dad in.

'Just something that might help you on your little venture' he said to him, Joey opened the envelope and inside saw a cheque for £25k. He looked up at his father 'and no before you ask this isn't money from ill-gotten gains' he told his son, 'your mother and I were saving for a rainy day and we thought you could use it for your business' he told him 'cut back on the amount that you'd have to borrow' he said. Joey sat down on the sofa.

'I don't know what to say, dad' he said looking up at him in surprise.

'Thank you, would be a start' Derek said with a smile.

'Thanks dad' he said and he stood up and hugged him. 'Lauren's going be thrilled' he said softly.

'So things between you two are going okay, are they?' he asked his son.

'Yep, things are going great' Joey replied nodding his head with a smile as Popoki suddenly galloped into the room, followed by a shoe. 'What are you doing now?' Joey frowned at the kitten and he glanced up to see a dishevelled looking Lauren coming down the hall. 'Hey, babe. How do you feel?' he asked her. Derek turned to see Lauren walk into the room.

'I'd be much better if the fucking cat left me alone' she frowned at him.

'I'm sorry babe, I thought I shut the door' Joey apologised. Lauren paused as she saw Derek.

'Oh…sorry I…didn't know there was anyone else here' she said. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten the tangled mess she knew it was.

'Lauren…' Derek said with a smile 'I didn't know you were here' he said 'not that I should be surprised that you are' he said.

'Lauren's moved in' Joey told him as he walked over to her 'are you sure you should be out of bed?' he said putting his arm around her.

'I'm bored in there by myself and the cat won't leave me alone. She's just tormenting me and biting my toes and swinging off my hair' she complained.

'Do you want to come and lay on the sofa?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head and Joey smiled at her.

'Ok, come on then, I'll get some pillows and a blanket' he said and he walked into the bedroom.

Lauren looked at Derek 'well, I'll leave you two alone' Derek told her with a smile as Lauren sneezed four times on the trot 'hope you feel better soon' he said. 'Tell Joey I'll call him later' he said.

'Okay' Lauren sniffed and sat down on the sofa. Derek let himself out of the flat and Popoki turned to look at Lauren and hissed at her, arching her back and puffing herself up, all the fur on her back and tail stood on end. Joey came back into the room and he frowned.

'POPOKI! Bad kitten!' he scolded her making her jump. Lauren glanced up at Joey and stood up to make way for him 'Derek said he'd call later' she said to him. 'I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt' she said as Joey made her up a "bed" on the sofa.

'You didn't, don't be silly' he shook his head 'there you go, in you get' he said. Lauren looked at him and smiled faintly.

'Thank you' she said and she climbed onto the sofa, Joey covered her with the blankets and he crouched down in front of the makeshift bed and he looked at her.

'You look a bit better' he said to her 'you have some colour back in your cheeks' he said as he brushed his fingers over her skin. 'You don't feel as hot either'

'I do feel better' she nodded her head. 'And I might be able to eat something more than soup later'

'How about lasagne?' he asked her 'I have one I can take out of the freezer'

'Lasagne sounds good' she replied.

'Do you want a drink?' he said standing up.

'A tea would be nice' she nodded.

'I'll be right back' he smiled and he left the room.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT. Back soon. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	105. Chapter 105

**Chapter One hundred and Four**

When he returned, Popoki was trying to climb up the blanket to get to Lauren. He put Lauren's tea on the coffee table and scooped the kitten up. 'Will you stop being a bad kitten!' he said holding Popoki so she was level with his face 'Lauren is here to stay and you need to get used to it, little miss!' he told her 'now you are going to have a time out in the bedroom' he said carrying her through to the room. He put her down on the floor and shut the door behind him. He went back out to Lauren and saw she was sitting up sipping her tea and holding the cheque in her hands, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

'What's this?' she asked him.

'Dad dropped it off' he told her 'he said he and mum have been saving for a rainy day and they wanted to give it to me for the bar' he told her.

'That was nice of them' Lauren said as Joey sat down beside her.

'Yeah, it was' he said putting his arm around her, he kissed the top of her head as she leant against his shoulder. 'We should open a joint account when you're feeling better, deposit all this money' he told her 'and have a look at some of the buildings you picked out'

'Have you done some more work on the business plan?' Lauren asked

'Mmm, not much though' he said 'it's not that good' he frowned 'I didn't really need to do a business plan with the bar, I went to Hawaii someone wanted to sell it, I brought it' he admitted to her, 'the bar pretty much ran itself' he shrugged 'pretty simple really. I don't really know what to write' he admitted to her.

'If I'm feeling better tomorrow I'll have a look at it' she said with a smile. Joey nodded his head.

'That would be good' he replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Another five days passed before Lauren felt fully better. She was up and showered and dressed before Joey was and she fed Popoki and cleaned out her litter tray, still staying clear of the little madam. She washed her hands and then set about making some coffee and toast. She sat at the kitchen table with her breakfast looking through the business plan Joey had started to write as well as the notes she had taken. When Joey got up an hour later she'd made some progress on the business plan.

'Morning' Joey said as he came into the room.

'Morning' Lauren smiled at him as he stooped down to give her a kiss.

'You look better today' he said to her.

'I feel much better' she said with a smile. 'The coffee's fresh'

'Great' he walked over to the jug and poured himself a cup 'refill?' he looked up at her and raised the coffee jug.

'Please' she nodded her head. 'What are your plans today?' she asked Joey as he sat down at the table.

'I guess I should go to rehearsal if you're feeling better' he said to her 'I take it you want the car today?'

'Please' Lauren nodded her head 'if that's okay?'

'Of course it is, I'll go give Brett a call' he said, he left his coffee at the table and went into the bedroom to call Brett. When he returned he sat down and took a mouthful of coffee 'he'll be here to pick me up in an hour' said. 'I'd better go take a shower, get dressed'

'Okay' Lauren nodded her head.

When Joey had finished his shower and dressed, Lauren had cleared up the breakfast things and had relocated to the lounge. Joey checked the time and he walked over to her, taking a seat beside her, Popoki scampered over to him and climbed onto his lap. He smiled down at her as he stroked her. 'So what are your plans for today?' he asked Lauren.

'I thought I'd go and pack up some more of my things' she said to him softly 'do some chores you know' she shrugged.

'Do you need any money?' he asked her causing her cheeks to flush. 'Sorry, stupid question' he said, he reached into his pocket and he pulled out his credit card and he put it on the coffee table in front of her.

'Joey, I can't take that' she said shaking her head as she turned to look at him.

'Yes, you can' he told her firmly, he reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand and he moved forward and kissed her, his tongue brushing against her lips, seeking entry. Her lips parted beneath his and his tongue slipped into her mouth, dancing with hers. Lauren moaned softly as the kiss ignited her desire for him. 'The pin code is 2251' he murmured against her lips as he ended the kiss. 'Can you remember that?' he asked her, drawing her into another kiss. Lauren shifted slightly to move closer to him as he deepened the kiss once more, he felt his groin stirring and he reluctantly broke the kiss '2251' he said again 'and you use it for whatever you need to' he told her.

'Thank you' she said 'what time will you be home?' she asked him.

'Around 6 I think' he said 'I'll call you if it's going to be any later' he said. He put Popoki on the floor and got up as he heard a car horn sound outside. 'Well that's me, I'll see you later, Lauren' he told her. Lauren nodded her head, standing up and following Joey to the door. He turned to look at her as he stepped outside.

'I'll make dinner' she said to him softly. 'Something nice'

'That sounds great' Joey nodded his head. 'Call me if you need anything' he said

'I will' she replied as her eyes fell to his lips, she stepped forward and kissed him softly. 'I love you'

'I love you too, babe' he replied softly, pulling her against him and kissing her again. The car horn sounded again, Joey broke the kiss with a chuckle 'I have to go'

'Okay' Lauren smiled at him, letting him go, she watched him walk away and then closed the door behind her. She had a lot of things to do today and she needed to get started.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews, glad you are enjoying TNT! Back soon. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter One Hundred and Five**

Lauren pulled the car up outside her parent's house and climbed out of the car. Pulling out her house keys she climbed the steps to the front door and opened it and disappeared inside. 'Hello?' she called out, hoping someone would be in. She was disappointed when no one replied. She made her way up the stairs to her room and opened the door, taking a look around the room and seeing what she still needed to pack. She should've thought to bring her suitcases back with her so she could pack some more clothes up to take back to the flat, and she probably should've thought about getting some boxes too. She sighed and walked back down the stairs and went outside, heading towards the market to pick up some boxes if there were any. She walked past the café, trying to keep her head down in case Lucy was there, she thought she'd got away with it until she heard her name being screeched across the market. She stopped walking with a sigh and turned to look at her friend and saw Whitney was with her too.

The two girls jogged over to her. 'Where the hell have you been? You just dropped off the face of the earth' Lucy demanded.

'I've been staying with Joey' she told them both 'and I've had flu so I've not really been feeling up to much' Lauren explained.

'Too sick to even pick up the phone?' Lucy frowned at her.

'Yes, pretty much' Lauren nodded her head, she turned towards some boxes she'd seen and made a beeline for them, picking some up and stacking them inside the others and then lifting them into her arms.

'What do you need boxes for?' Lucy asked her.

'Mind your own business' Lauren replied as she started to walk back to her house.

'Are you still pissed with us? I thought we sorted everything out' Lucy said to her.

'Lucy, I'm busy. I don't have time for your drama today' Lauren told her with a frown 'you've already made your feelings about mine and Joey's relationship perfectly clear when you told me I was biting off more than I could chew or whatever the hell the pearls of wisdom were you spouted' Lauren snapped at her. 'So if you don't mind, I have things to do'

Lucy frowned and exchanged glances with Whitney and they both followed Lauren. 'Busy doing what? What do you need boxes for?' Whitney asked her curiously

'If you must know, I'm packing up my things' she told them both as they reached the steps to her house. 'I've moved in with Joey'

'Wow, that was quick' Whitney exclaimed in surprise. Lauren turned to glare at her. 'I didn't mean it that way' Whitney back tracked quickly.

'Then how exactly did you mean it?' Lauren asked her coldly.

'Just that you've snagged a good one and you're set up' she said with a shrug 'all the good ones are getting snapped up pretty quickly' she told her with a small smile 'and it's about time you had some good luck. I mean you've kissed more than your fair share of frogs'

Lauren smiled at Whitney 'I've done a lot more than kiss them!' she grinned at her causing the three of them to giggle.

'So do you need a hand?' Lucy asked her expectantly.

'Yeah, actually that would be great, thanks. I have no idea where to start and I didn't bring my suitcases back...'

'I'll go get mine, you can borrow them' Lucy said 'be right back' she turned and ran towards her house.

'I'll leave the latch off' Lauren called after her. Whitney looped her arm through Lauren's and they made their way up to the house.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The boys took a break from rehearsals during mid-afternoon and Joey jumped down from the stage and walked to the front row of seats and sat down, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He dialled Lauren's number and waited. 'Hello?' an unfamiliar voice answered the phone.

'Lauren?' Joey asked in confusion.

'No, hold on I'll get her for you….LAUREN! PHONE!' Joey held the phone away from his ear as the girl yelled for Lauren. He could hear giggling in the background and then a breathless sounding Lauren spoke.

'Hello?'

'Hey babe'

'Joey! Hey' he heard the smile in her voice 'how's rehearsal going?' she asked him.

'It's a little slow' he admitted to her 'Or should I say I'm a little slow, I've missed a lot of new routines' he told her.

'Sorry' Lauren said as guilt flooded through her 'that's my fault'

'Hey, no I didn't mean it like that, you couldn't help getting sick, could you?' he asked her.

'No' she replied, Joey heard a clinking of glasses in the back ground followed by some more giggling.

'Is everything okay there?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm. I'm at the house, Lucy and Whitney are helping me pack up my things' she told him. 'So does this mean you're going to have to rehearse more?' she asked him, not liking the idea of not seeing very much of him.

'I'm not sure babe, we're having other issues too' he told her 'We've had some new costumes made and they're not made very well' he told her 'we spent a lot of money on them too'

'What's wrong with them?' she asked him, knowing Amanda was in charge of their costumes.

'I'm sitting here wearing a fireman's outfit that doesn't have much give in it, if you know what I mean' he told him 'I can't move very well in it'

'A whole fireman's outfit?' Lauren asked him in a soft voice.

'Well, the yellow trousers and the helmet and a stringy black vest top' he said 'I also have a cool axe' he looked down at the axe that was resting against the seat beside him.

Lauren chewed on her bottom lip as she pictured him in the costume. 'Maybe you should bring it home and let me see if there's anything I can do' she said.

Joey frowned 'what do you mean? You can sew?' he asked her clearly confused.

'That's not what I meant, Joey' she said with a smile.

'Oh…' he said sounding even more confused and then she heard an intake of breath 'OH!'

Lauren giggled. 'That took you a while' she teased him.

'You must be feeling better' he told her.

'I am, and I think I need to say thank you for taking care of me' she said to him. 'Which I plan to do tonight'

'I'm looking forward to coming home' he said to her. 'What time will you be home?'

'Actually, I forgot I had the car and I've had a few glasses of wine…' she trailed off.

'I'll get Brett to drop me off at your parents' he said to her. 'How about we get a takeaway for dinner?' he asked her.

'Sounds perfect' she replied. 'I can't wait to see you tonight' she told him.

'Me either…' he murmured. 'I love you'

'Love you too, Joey' she replied.

'Bye, babe' Joey smiled as he hung up the phone.

 **AN Thanks for all your reviews for TNT...Almost 3000! Wow! Don't forget to leave me a review back later xxx**


	107. Chapter 107

**AN: Hi, first of all I want to apologise for not posting every day. This was my intention when I started to post this story. A few of my familiar reviwers have expressed some concern for me as I havent been posting as much. I have been unwell and had to take a significant period of time off work to deal with things, I have been back at work since January and have medication to help me cope with stress and anxiety and depression. For a period of time I literally burnt myself out, all I could do was work and think about work, do work and worry about work and my mental health took a bit of a battering and I lost focus on myself and the things that I loved to do, ie writing. However, I am now on the road to recovery and gradually getting back into the swing of things, my sleep pattern is getting better now and I am able to deal with stress and anxiety better...I am no longer bursting into tears at the drop of a hat! I am trying to refocus on my writing and posting of my stories, so I will try to post more oten than I have been, but I cannot promise it will be every day at the moment... anyway anough about me...without any further ado...here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Chapter One hundred and Six**

Brett and Joey pulled up behind Joey's car and Joey sprinted up the stairs to knock on the door. It was opened by a very pink faced and slightly tipsy Lauren. 'Hey' she grinned at him, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him hungrily, sliding one hand down his back to his bum and giving him a firm squeeze. 'Did you bring it?' she murmured against his lips.

'Mmhmm' he whispered back 'Brett's here' he said drawing her attention to his friend who was standing behind him 'he's come to give us a hand loading the car with your boxes' he said to her softly. Lauren looked up at Joey and then moved her head so she could see over his shoulder. Brett grinned at her.

'Do I get a welcome like that?' he teased her.

'No you bloody well don't!' Joey exclaimed turning round to look at him with a scowl. 'Get the boxes' he nodded his head towards a pile at the foot of the stairs.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Half an hour later, Joey's car was packed full of Lauren's things and Brett had gone. Lauren turned the lights off in the house and locked the door and followed Joey down the steps to the car, he reached to open the car door for her and she turned round to face him. 'So how much have you had to drink?' he asked her.

'A bottle of wine…maybe more' she said 'I carried on drinking after Whit and Lucy left' she told him with a smile as she slid her hands up Joey's chest and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, pulling his face towards hers. 'Nearly as much as that time we had sex on the beach…' she trailed off as she brushed her lips against Joey's.

'As much as that huh?' he asked her, Lauren nodded her head.

'It's a pity the square is so crowded right now' she told him 'because if it wasn't we'd be having sex right here and right now'

Joey swallowed as her words travelled to his groin and he felt his cock stir. 'I think I'd better get you home before we get arrested for public indecency' he told her and he tugged on the door handle and she moved forward, dropping one her hands she grazed his groin with her fingers.

'I think you'd be more than up for the challenge' she murmured, brushing her lips over his Adam's apple. She felt it move under her lips as he swallowed again.

'Get in the car woman, before you get us both into trouble' he told her firmly. She giggled and turned around, he pulled the door fully open for her and as she climbed into the car, he smacked her on the rear, she gave a tiny yelp of surprise and giggled harder as Joey pushed her door shut.

Joey walked round to the driver's door, adjusting himself as his cock grew harder. He climbed into the car and started the engine as he glanced at Lauren, she grinned at him happily. He smiled back at her with a shake of his head and he pulled on his seatbelt and pulled away from the square.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The journey home was long and eventful, they got caught up in a traffic jam caused by an accident on the main road. Lauren had been rubbing Joey's thigh just above the knee as they talked and it had been driving him crazy. She'd also shifted in her seat and was resting her feet on the dashboard, causing her skirt to rise and allow Joey a very tempting glimpse of her naked thighs. It'd been too long since they'd last had sex. Lauren had been unwell and he wasn't the type of man that would force himself on someone who was in their sickbed. All he wanted to do was to get home and take his beautiful, sexy girlfriend to bed, but the fates seemed to be against him tonight. The detour he'd followed meant that they'd ended up in another traffic jam, this time caused by over running road works. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally pulled the car up into the space beside his flat. Lauren was out of the car and pulling out the boxes for him to take into the house. He groaned as he realised she wanted to unpack the car. At this rate it would be closer to midnight before he got what he wanted, and then there was no guarantee he would get what he wanted. Alcohol, combined with an early start and a busy day meant that there was a high chance of Lauren falling asleep long before he got her into bed, especially during the last fifteen minutes of their journey when she'd been yawning every few minutes.

'Can't those wait?' he asked her. She glanced up at him.

'I don't want to leave them in the car all night' she said to him 'we can just put them in the lounge and I'll unpack them tomorrow' she told him.

'Okay' Joey replied. 'You go inside and make sure Popoki doesn't make a break for freedom' he told her. Lauren nodded and turned to the door, pulling the keys from her pocket 'oh and Lauren?' Joey said as he put a box down on top of the one she had already placed by the door. 'Don't you dare fall asleep!' he warned her.

'I promise' she giggled, blowing him a kiss as she stepped into the flat.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Joey had moved all the boxes from the car into the flat, he discovered Lauren had opened another bottle of wine and had turned the CD player on and she was currently dancing around the lounge. Joey closed and locked the door, dropping his keys onto the table, before striding across the room towards Lauren. He took the glass away from her and took a long drink, finishing the wine. He put the glass on the book shelf and slid his hands around Lauren's waist, pulling her against him, his hands slid to the bottom of her skirt and slid underneath, cupping her bottom in his hands. Lauren smiled, reaching for the buttons on the front of his shirt and beginning to undo them tantalisingly slowly. Joey picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom, kicking the bedroom door shut behind them. He carried her over to the bed, lowering them both down on to it, he gazed down at her, brushing her hair away from her face with a smile.

'I'm glad you're feeling better' he murmured softly.

'Me too' she replied as he kissed her. 'Joey…your fireman's costume…'

'Later babe' he murmured capturing her lips in another kiss.

 **AN Thank you for all the reviews for TNT! Back soon. Please don't forget to leave me a review. x**


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter One Hundred and Seven**

Joey made light work of her clothes and she soon lay naked beneath him. All Lauren had managed to do was to undo a few buttons on his shirt. Joey knew that their first coupling was going to be quick and he wanted to make sure Lauren was satisfied first. He grabbed her wrists and pushed them up over her head, pinning them in place and he gazed down at her, her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were pink, mainly due to the alcohol she'd consumed. Her hair was fanned out beneath her head, she was beautiful…and she was his. He bent his head and pressed his forehead against hers 'Hold on tight, baby' he whispered softly. He brushed his mouth against hers and then lowered his mouth to her neck. He pressed soft feather like kisses to her throat and neck and along her collar bone. His tongue drew circles around her nipples before he took the peaks into his mouth, rolling them against his tongue. Lauren freed one of her hands from his grasp and slid her fingers into his hair and tugged gently, pulling his head closer to her breast. Minutes later, Lauren was groaning and writhing beneath Joey, he left her breasts and his lips travelled lower.

Lauren gasped and her hips bucked upwards as she felt Joey's tongue slide along her opening, and circle her clit. Joey smiled, she was already wet. Clearly she was just as affected as he was by her words to him earlier. He pulled the little button into his mouth and began to suck on it, inserting a finger and then a second, pushing them in and then out of her welcoming body, she let out a low moan and he inserted a third finger. 'Joey…please…Joey' she moaned softly as his tongue lapped against her clit. 'JOEY, JOEY, JOEY, JOEY…' his name fell from her lips over and over as he easily brought her to climax. He trailed his lips up her body to her throat and then to her lips, as he kissed her he thrust into her body, swallowing her cries.

Lauren moved her legs so they were wrapped around Joey's waist as he sank into her over and over again. She'd missed this, missed him. Missed the way he made her feel. Her fingers gripped his shoulders as they moved together, both of them striving to reach their peaks, to give the other pleasure. Joey broke the kiss and looked down at Lauren, she met his gaze. Joey felt a myriad of emotions flow through him as he gazed down at her. He was in love with her. He knew they'd moved fast in their relationship, when they eventually managed to get together that was, but he didn't regret where they were now, he was glad she'd agreed to move in with him. He groaned loudly as he felt a tingling in his groin, signalling he was close to coming. Her thighs tightened against him and her fingertips dug into his skin and he knew she was close to her second orgasm. He began to increase his rhythm and Lauren gasped.

'I love you' Joey told her, a few moments later he felt himself pulsing inside her as he came hard, Lauren screamed his name as his release triggered hers.

'I love you too' she whispered breathlessly moments later. Joey smiled and he kissed her gently, before rolling off her and gathering her close.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'So, have you packed everything?' Joey asked her as he watched her hair fall through his fingers.

'Yep, give or take a few things I don't think I'll need' she replied softly 'and if it turns out I do we can always go and pick them up' she said.

'That's very true' he nodded his head. 'So you're going to spend the day tomorrow unpacking your things?' he asked her

'That's the plan' she said 'Oh I need to give you your credit card back' she told him 'I didn't use it'

'Well you might need it later' he replied 'so you better keep it'

Lauren looked up at him 'I'm not going to use it' she told him.

'Just humour me okay?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head.

'Okay' she said softly 'I'll humour you' she replied and she shifted in the bed so she was looking down at him 'are you hungry?' she asked him.

'I could eat' he nodded his head and she smiled at him 'Chinese?'

'Chinese it is. I'll go order' she said to him and she slipped out of the bed. Joey watched her grab his robe off the back of the bedroom door and then left the room.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The two of them ate their Chinese in bed, with Popoki being fed some prawns by Joey, despite Lauren telling him they would be too rich for her tiny kitten stomach and warning him she would probably be sick. When they'd finished Lauren gathered up the plates and containers and took them into the kitchen, returning to the bedroom with Joey's bag and she looked at him expectantly as she put it on the bed.

'Now? Really?' he asked her.

'Yep' she nodded her head. 'Please, you promised' she pouted.

Joey sighed 'I thought you didn't want to see me in any of my stripping gear' he said as he climbed out of bed, grabbing the bag and heading towards the door.

'That was before I knew you had a fireman's outfit' she replied with a grin. Joey rolled his eyes and walked through to the bathroom. Lauren knelt on the bed and waited for him to return. 'Should I put some music on?' she called out to him.

'Not unless you want me to strip for you' he said stepping into the room. Lauren's mouth ran dry as she looked at him.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT, back soon, don't forget to leave me a review. xx**


	109. Chapter 109

**Chapter one Hundred and Eight**

Joey leant against the doorframe as he looked at Lauren. 'Wow' she exclaimed 'you look…' she trailed off, licking her lips as she took in Joey's appearance 'wow…' she said again.

'You've already said that, babe' he replied. He watched as Lauren climbed off the bed, securing the robe around her and she slowly walked towards him. Joey was wearing a yellow pair of luminous trousers and a jacket, and a fire man's hat. Although Lauren couldn't see any skin he looked very hot. She took his hand, leading him into the room and she walked around him looking at him from every angle. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, reaching out with one hand and running it over his bum.

'I've changed my mind' Lauren told him as she walked round to stand in front of him.

'You want me to take it off?' he asked her misunderstanding what she meant.

'Yes, I do' she replied nodding her head 'slowly, to music' she said and she walked to the bed and sat down at the bottom.

'You…want me to strip for you?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' she nodded her head. Joey blinked and licked his lips, for some reason this felt awkward. He was used to stripping on stage in front of hundreds of girls that he didn't know or care about but to strip alone for his girlfriend was making him feel a little self-conscious and strangely embarrassed. Lauren looked at him expectantly.

'I'm not sure I can' he admitted to her with a small frown 'it feels…kind of…strange…silly' he told her honestly.

'But you do this all the time on the stage, all I'm asking for is a private show' she said to him.

'I know that, but it's different when I'm on stage' he told her.

Lauren frowned 'I don't understand' she said to him. 'It's just me, Joey, and I have seen you naked before'

Joey smiled, chuckling softly 'it's not that' he told her 'it's just…when I'm on the stage you have the spot lights shining on you and you can't really see any further than the edge of the stage, maybe the front three rows. You can hear the women shouting out and screaming, but it's just voices…normally when I'm up on the stage I shut off…I'm just dancing and taking my clothes off. I don't care what they think about me, about my body…I just want to give them a good show…you know?' he asked her with a frown, wondering if she understood what he was trying to say.

'You already know that I think you're hot and very sexy. And you have a great body, Joey. You don't need to be embarrassed'

He laughed, blushing slightly at the compliments as he looked down briefly 'I'm not embarrassed' he told her.

'Then what is it?' she asked him frowning.

'The women that come to see the show are just there…I don't care about them, but with you…it's different' he said softly 'I love you…you turn me on…sometimes just with a look…' he licked his lips 'I'm not sure I can just "perform" for you' he told her.

Lauren sighed and she slowly got up off the bed and she smiled at him 'well, how about I strip you instead?' she asked him as she walked over to him 'and then when I'm done, you can strip me'

'That's not going to take me too long, you're only wearing a robe' he smiled at her.

'I'll tell you what, why don't you go and find some appropriate music and I'll be back in a few minutes?' she asked him, reaching up to peck him on the lips softly and then she left the room. Joey stood there for a few moments and then walked into the lounge, he found a CD and before he returned to the bedroom, he made sure the front door was locked. When Lauren returned Joey had set the CD to ready, Joey looked at her and was surprised and a little disappointed to see she was still wearing the robe.

'Ready?' she asked him. Joey nodded his head and he pressed the button on the CD. Lauren smiled as she heard the first few bars of "You Can leave Your Hat On" filter out of the speakers. 'Good choice' she said as she walked into the room and closed the bedroom door. She walked slowly over to him and took his axe away from him 'I don't think we'll be needing this' she told him and she propped it up against the wall. Joey swallowed nervously as she walked around him slowly, jumping slightly when she pinched his bottom. 'Well, I guess we need to start with this' she said and she reached for the front of his jacket. She started at the bottom and pulled slowly, the Velcro made a ripping noise as it pulled apart, her eyes met and held Joey's as she let the jacket go and let it hang loose. Joey was topless underneath, her eyes fell to his chest, a smattering of hairs adorned his chest, she let her eyes wander over him lazily, drinking in every detail. She knew he worked out and she'd seen him naked before…lots of times before but she'd never actually taken the time to really appreciate his physique. His pectoral muscles were well defined…not over the top muscly, just right in her book. Underneath those was a very well defined and very sexy 6 pack, his belly button nestled just below that last two muscles of his six pack, she licked her lips as her eyes fell to his tight taut stomach and the trail of soft hair that travelled all the way down to disappear under the waistband of his trousers. She heard Joey gasp and her eyes met his and she realised she'd trailed her fingers over his body as she drank him in. She glanced down briefly at his groin and could see a slight swelling, albeit hidden away by his trousers, she smiled and raised her eyes to his as she slid her hands back up to his chest and then to his shoulders. She pushed the jacket off so it slid down his arms with ease and fell to the floor. He was wearing a pair of red braces that held up his trousers, Lauren slid her fingers underneath them and pushed them off too, letting her hands run over his arms, feeling the muscles there too. She smiled as she reached for the belt of the robe and she undid it slowly before shimming it off her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. She glanced up through her eyelashes at Joey and had the pleasure of seeing his mouth drop open, he gave a soft moan at the same time.

The little item she had on was a hen night present from Whitney, meant to be worn on her wedding night. She'd never worn it, she would never have had the courage to wear it, she'd planned to wear it for Joey but couldn't find the right time to or the guts to if she was being honest… but now…tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity. It was a little black lacy, sexy lingerie that enhanced her cleavage and had a tiny lacy frilly skirt that just about covered her bottom. The back was tied by strings in three places and underneath the skirt she wore a tiny g-string. Thinking she should give Joey a little taster she turned around and keeping her legs straight she bent down, picking up the robe she'd dropped, she heard him groan again and straightened up just as slowly, tossing the robe towards the end of the bed.

She turned back to Joey and could see the lust and desire in his eyes, he was breathing a little bit quicker now, she moved forward and starting at the little trail of hair just above his trousers she ran her fingers lightly upwards, pressing her lips to his six pack as she did so. She trailed open mouthed kisses all the way up to his nipples, giving them both a little caress with her tongue for good measure. She kissed her way along his jaw and then to his neck. Joey's hands moved to her waist and he pulled her against him, letting her feel his very prominent arousal. She moaned softly and decided she'd better finish stripping him so they could move on to him stripping her and then move onto the mind blowing sex she knew they were going to have. She started to pull away from him, but he had other ideas, one of his hands cupped the back of her head, drawing her face towards his for a kiss. His tongue pushed between her lips and probed her mouth in such a way that it made her feel all tingly and wobbly at the same time, his other hand moved to cup her bottom, increasing the pressure of his thick cock against her body. She circled her arms around his neck, kissing him back with equal fervour, she broke the kiss when he felt him moving her backwards towards the bed.

'Uh-uh' she murmured breathlessly 'I haven't finished stripping you yet' she told him.

'Hurry up' he demanded breathlessly.

Lauren pulled away from him, trailing her fingers down his chest again, over his six pack and then to the waistband of his trousers. She pulled gently and heard the familiar sound of tearing and guessed the trousers were held together by Velcro down the outside seam of the legs, she took a step backwards and tugged and as she expected the trousers came away from the seams and she glanced at Joey. He smiled at her and shrugged as she tossed the trousers to one side. She looked down at his groin and found it was covered by a pair of red tight-fitting pants that had a zip down the middle. Glancing at the sides she could also see they were attached together by Velcro. She reached out to lower the zip, accidentally brushing her knuckles over the swelling beneath. Raising her eyes to Joey's she took the fireman's helmet off his head, placing it on her own with a giggle. He smiled at her. 'Suits you, babe' he told her, huskily.

'Thank you' she replied with a grin. She pulled down the zip and then took the hat off her head and held it in front of Joey's groin before she ripped away the pants, leaving Joey naked in front of her, his modesty being covered by the fireman's helmet. She looked up at him and as the last bars of the song played through the speakers she tossed the fireman's helmet into the air with a giggle. 'Ta da!' she sang.

Joey smiled and she looked down at his groin and dropped to her knees, catching his length in her hand, she stroked him firmly twice before she took him into her mouth. Joey groaned and tangled his fingers into her hair as she worked his length in and out of her mouth. He wasn't going to last very long, instead of finding this experience silly and uncomfortable he'd found it extremely erotic. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to perform this number again without having flashbacks of now. He groaned as she pulled him out of her mouth to the tip and her tongue circled the head of his cock before taking him all the way in again. She moved her hands to his butt and Joey began to thrust gently into her moist hot mouth. His breathing was becoming rapid and she knew he was close. 'Fuck…Lauren! LAUREN!' he cried out as he pulsed in her mouth, Lauren swallowed hungrily and he filled her mouth another three times before he was finished. She licked him clean and looked up at him and he held out his hands to her, she slipped hers into them and he helped her to her feet.

'So…now I get to strip you…' he said raising his eyebrows questioningly.

Lauren nodded her head 'seems only fair' she replied brazenly.

 **AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews for TNT. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I think there maybe some repercussions of Joey bringing home one of his costumes a little later on! Don's forget to leave me a review. Back soon xx**


	110. Chapter 110

**Chapter One Hundred and Nine**

Joey was running late the next morning, and Lauren was still sleeping when he woke up. Rather than wake her, he left her in bed and rushed around the room as quietly as he could, gathering up his fireman's costume for rehearsals. He fed Popoki and left Lauren a note on the kitchen table before leaving the house.

Lauren woke a couple of hour later and stretched, climbing out of bed and padding through to the bathroom, after she'd showered and dressed, she walked through to the kitchen and made some coffee, smiling when she saw the note from Joey. Finding her mobile she fired off a quick text to Joey and then decided she should set about unpacking her boxes, her mobile beeped almost instantly, letting her know she had a text message from Joey. She smiled and typed another reply, getting an instant response from him again. She smiled, walking over to the sofa and she sat down, pulling her legs up underneath her.

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'Joey! Will you stop playing with your bloody phone and get your arse on the stage!' Brett yelled out 'we have to do a full dress rehearsal today'

Joey glanced up and him, typed out another quick text and left his phone on the seat and leapt up the steps to the stage 3 at a time. 'Sorry' he said with a sheepish smile.

'Seriously, mate, you're worse than a girl right now' Brett teased him good naturedly. 'You're going to see her in less than 5 hours…you can go 5 hours without checking your phone to see if she's text you, can't you?' he asked him.

'Fuck off, Brett' Joey told him, giving him the finger as he walked off the side of the stage to put his first costume on.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

At 1:00pm, Lauren took a break, made herself a sandwich and grabbed a soda from the fridge. She'd made a lot of progress unpacking her things but as there wasn't much furniture in the apartment there wasn't a lot of places her things could go. She wanted to decorate and buy more furniture and ornaments, maybe hang a few pictures on the walls, brighten the place up a little bit, make it more homely. She had Joey's credit card and she knew she could go out and buy some paint and furniture but she felt it was something the two of them should be doing together, as a couple. So instead she made a list of the items of furniture she thought they should get as well as some possible paint colours to look at.

After she'd finished eating her lunch she moved into the bedroom and started to move Joey's things around to make room for her own things.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Halfway through one of the group routines, Brett noticed Joey was behind on his steps, he watched his friend as he went through the steps and he frowned.

'Joey. You're behind' he called out.

Joey nodded his head 'I know I'm sorry' he said. 'Can we start over?'

'Alright, from the top guys' Brett said. The rest of the boys grumbled a bit, but moved back to their starting positions and the music started again.

Brett watched Joey and he seemed to be moving as though he was in pain, Brett frowned and was about to ask his friend what was wrong when he fled off the stage. 'JOEY! JOEY!' he called out after him. 'Okay, guys take a break!' he called out and went after Joey, hearing the moans and complaints from the rest of the group about Joey.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Five hours later Joey walked into the house, finding Lauren sitting on the window sill with a sketchpad on her lap and a tray of pencils beside her. 'I have a bone to pick with you' he scowled as he walked into the room 'or should I say boner?' Lauren glanced at him briefly, the pencil pausing on the page before she returned her attention to the sketchpad on her lap.

'Oh?' she asked softly. Her eyes flicked to look out of the window and then back to the page, her pencil moving over the page with a soft scratching sound. Joey walked over to her and he looked down at the picture she was drawing.

'Hey, that's pretty good' he said with a smile.

'Thank you, it's only a rough sketch but I'm thinking maybe I could paint it and we could hang it on the wall' she said 'brighten this place up a little bit, actually I've been thinking that maybe we should get some more furniture and a few little bits and pieces to make the flat look a bit more homely' she said looking up at him 'what do you think?' she asked him.

'You don't like the flat?' he asked her with a slight frown as he turned to look around the room.

'I love the flat' Lauren said 'you know what, forget I said anything' she said 'it was a stupid idea' she closed her notepad and gathered up her pencils. She slid of the windowsill and put her things in a bag, zipping it up. Joey watched as she picked up the bag and went down the hall towards the bedroom. When she didn't return after 5 minutes he went after her, pausing in the doorway when he saw the changes she'd made to the bedroom. She'd changed the sheets on the bed and instead of the normal white sheets and duvet he normally had on the bed, it was now a pale blue colour. She'd also put some of her family pictures up on the side of the bed she slept on, pictures she was now taking down. Joey walked over to her, taking the pictures away from her and putting them back in place.

'Hey, what are you doing?' he asked her softly 'this is your home too now' he told her 'and if you want to decorate, add a few things then it's okay with me' he said turning her round to look at him. 'And knowing you…you've probably come up with a list of ideas and maybe even colours that you want us to look at?' he said with a small smile.

'I might have done' she admitted 'but this is your flat and I don't want to…'

'It's our flat' he reminded her 'I asked you to move in and you said yes, remember?'

'I remember' she smiled up at him.

'Besides, I like what you've done in here, although I'm a little weirded out by the fact you have a picture of your parents on your bedside table, next to the bed where we do naked things…' he glanced over her shoulder 'unless you don't want us to do naked things anymore…'

Lauren giggled 'There isn't anywhere else to put them, when we get some more furniture they can move to the lounge, in the meantime they stay here' she said.

'Then I guess we should take a look at some new furniture then, hey?' he asked her, Lauren smiled up at him and he felt the butterflies in his stomach again, the same butterflies he felt when he was talking to Brett about her and what he wanted his future to be.

'You said you wanted to talk to me?' she asked him, he nodded his head.

'Brett wants to have words with you too. He's not very pleased with you right now'

Lauren frowned 'Why? What did I do?' she asked him as she ran her hands over his chest and circled her wrists behind his neck, moving closer to him.

'Well, let's just say I'm banned from bringing home anymore outfits to show you and the Fireman number has been dropped from our routine for the foreseeable future…' he told her.

'Why?' she asked him softly.

'Let's just say I had a little bit of a memory recall issue whilst we were rehearsing and it caused a big problem and led to a rather embarrassing conversation with Brett…' he said as his face coloured slightly as he recalled the conversation.

 _'Joey, what's going on? You knew this routine yesterday step for step' Brett said finding Joey in one of the dressing rooms back stage._

 _'Can you give me a few minutes?' Joey asked him with a sigh._

 _'Are you kidding me right now? You just screwed up a routine, walked off the stage, the boys are pissed and you want me to give you a few minutes? What the fuck is going on, Joey?' Brett said, losing his temper with his best friend. Joey was sitting on the chair, his holdall on his lap. 'Talk to me, mate… this isn't like you… you're normally the one chewing everyone else's ear off when they make a mistake…'_

 _'I'm just… struggling with this routine…that's all' Joey murmured, shifting uncomfortably in his seat._

 _'You weren't yesterday… or at any of the previous rehearsals… suddenly it's become an issue? Why?' Brett demanded._

 _'I don't know' Joey said vaguely._

 _'Bollocks, you don't… what happened between yesterday and today?' Brett said stepping further into the room._

 _Joey sighed and closed his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder at his friend 'I took the costume home last night.' Joey said softly._

 _'Why the hell would you do that?' Brett frowned at him 'you know better than to do that…'_

 _'Lauren wanted to see it…' Joey replied._

 _'And she couldn't come to a show to do that?' he asked in confusion._

 _'You know how she feels about coming to a show, I thought that if I took a costume home, maybe showed her a little bit of the routine … well I thought it would help… make her feel more comfortable…you know?'_

 _'And did it?' Brett asked, wondering where this conversation was heading._

 _'Yes… but there were unforeseen and unexpected consequences to that…' Joey admitted._

 _'Meaning?'_

 _'Do I have to spell it out, Brett? What do you think I fucking mean?' Joey said exasperatedly._

 _Brett thought about it for a few seconds and then the penny dropped and he burst into laughter. 'Oh my God! You've got a stiffy!' he crowed. 'Wow, Lauren must have been very enthusiastic about the costume'_

 _'Mate… please…' Joey whined._

 _Brett was still laughing as he turned to the door, 'well, I'll leave you… to take care of… business…' he chuckled 'see you back out front in a little while…' he added._

 _'You're not going tell the rest of them, are you?' Joey turned to look at him, wincing slightly at the movement._

 _'My lips are sealed, but no more practicing routines for the girlfriend, okay? We'll drop this routine for the time being… come back to it once you've stopped…having a reaction to it' he chuckled loudly and headed out of the room, leaving a mortified Joey behind him._

Lauren blinked at him 'oh…well that's a shame, I was hoping I could talk you into bringing the Cowboy costume home next' she said to him with a small smile.

'Yeah, as much as I want to, that's not going to happen babe' he told her firmly.

'Spoilsport' she pouted.

'Hey, you're not the one who had to walk out on a routine because you had a really painful erection which you then had to take care of before you could go back on the stage and face the rest of the boys' he told her, his face turning red again.

'Oh…I guess I can see that would be a bit of a problem' she said. 'I guess I might have to come to a show after all. Maybe I can watch backstage…' she suggested hopefully.

'No…I'm banning you from coming to any of the shows' he told her shaking his head 'knowing that you're watching is just going to make things worse' he told her softly 'I'm sorry, babe'

Lauren looked up at him with a small smile 'Maybe when you're done with the stripping you could maybe keep some of the costumes, you know for sentimental reasons?' she enquired.

'I'm sure that could be arranged' he grinned nodding his head.

 **AN: thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back soon dont forget to leave me a review. xx**


	111. Chapter 111

**Chapter One Hundred and Ten**

Over the next few weeks and months, Lauren and Joey were busy with meetings with the bank and estate agents and planning the work they would need to complete on the new bar they intended to open. They had also both agreed on new furniture for the flat and paint colours and whilst Joey was working a gig Lauren stayed home and decorated.

Joey had also been pretty busy with his stripping gigs, although tonight was going to be his last one and unbeknownst to Joey, Lauren was going to be in attendance.

Things between the two of them had gone from strength to strength, that's not to say that they hadn't had any little hiccups along the way because they had. One time, Joey had come home from a stripping gig, which then turned into a party afterwards, Brett had brought him home somewhat sheepishly and left Joey with Lauren. Joey was so drunk he could barely stand. Lauren had managed to get him into the bedroom and she'd stripped off his clothes with some difficulty. He reeked of alcohol and had lipstick marks all over his shirt, neck and face. He also reeked of cheap perfume. Lauren was pretty certain he hadn't cheated on her, because he wasn't in any fit state to and she knew he wouldn't have done so when he was sober. Taking off his shirt she saw someone had written their phone number on his chest with lipstick. He also had lipstick kisses on his chest. Lauren felt her throat constrict as tears stung the back of her eyes…maybe she didn't know Joey as well as she thought she did. She left him half-dressed and grabbed some pillows and the duvet and took them through to the lounge, making up a bed for herself. A few moments later she returned to the bedroom after a visit to the kitchen to get some water and painkillers as well as a bowl in case he was sick. She placed the items on the floor and on the bedside table and turned off the lamp and walked out of the room, pulling the door behind her. She settled down into her bed on the sofa and began to cry. Popoki had been watching from the hallway, she crept to the sofa and managed to climb up onto the duvet and manoeuvred her way over the lumps and bumps off the duvet to sit on the pillow next to Lauren's face. She touched her forehead lightly with her paw and miaowed softly, getting no response she moved forward and licked Lauren's cheek with a little purr. Lauren opened her eyes, surprised to see the kitten next to her, Popoki licked her cheeks again and then snuggled down beside Lauren, her head resting on the pillow next to her, purring away contentedly as Lauren's fingers brushed through her fur.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Joey woke the next morning he felt awful, he moved his head slightly to see what the time was and it was as if a grenade had suddenly gone off inside his head. He groaned and slowly sat up. He had no recollection of getting home…to be truthful he didn't have much recollection after he and the boys had left the gig and headed back to Brett's for an impromptu party. He saw a glass and some little white tablets on the bedside table and he grabbed them and swallowed them down gratefully. Lauren must have left them out for him, he wondered where she was. He climbed out of bed, almost falling over the bowl that was on the floor. He felt a bit shaky on his feet and his head was pounding so hard it made him feel sick. He walked out of the bedroom, pausing in the hallway and he walked out into the lounge, the flat was empty. He turned and walked to the bathroom and set the shower going. He crossed the room to the sink and turned the cold tap on, leaning over it as he felt bile rising, he took a few deep breaths and the feeling he was going to be sick passed. Straightening up he looked into the mirror to see if he looked as bad as he felt and decided that he did. He looked down at his chest frowning when he saw lipstick writing and lipstick kisses all over it.. He had no memory of how or even who had done that, he frowned trying to think back but his mind was blank. He suddenly realised that Lauren would've seen them too and his heart sank. He needed to shower and go out and find Brett, get some answers and then he needed to face Lauren. Turning away from the mirror he stripped off his clothes, his mouth opened in shock and mortification as he discovered he also had lipstick on his cock. He was pretty sure he was in a hell of a lot of trouble.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After two hours with Brett, Joey had a better idea of the events of last night. Brett was very clear to Joey that he was out cold and wasn't a willing participant in anything that had happened. Although his words made Joey feel better he knew they wouldn't be much comfort to Lauren, especially since he couldn't actually remember what had happened and had to take his friend's word for it.

Joey was sitting at home waiting for Lauren to return, he'd sent her a couple of texts but hadn't had a reply, he pretended it was because he was busy at the bar, but deep down he knew she was giving him the cold shoulder, not that he blamed her. And Lauren wasn't the only female in his life giving him the cold shoulder, Popoki was too. He'd fed her earlier and she refused to eat a single mouthful of it. She'd hissed at him and puffed herself up so she looked twice as big as she normally did, she refused to even go anywhere near him, removing herself from the room as soon as he walked into it.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

At 8:00pm he heard keys in the lock, he was relieved that Lauren had come home, he'd been worried that she wouldn't. His eyes were fixed to the door as it opened and then she stepped inside. She didn't even look at him as she closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen, dropping her bags on the kitchen table. The smell of McDonalds filled his senses and he felt a little bit queasy, but he got up and walked through to the kitchen.

'Hey' he said softly 'I'm sorry'

Lauren froze and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'What are you sorry for?' she asked him.

'Getting so drunk I couldn't walk' he told her.

'Is that all?' she asked him and she raised her eyes to his. He could see the anger and hurt in them.

'Nothing happened…I mean I didn't have sex with anyone' he told her.

'Joey, you didn't even know your own name last night so how the hell do you know if you did or didn't have sex with anyone?' Lauren snapped at him.

Joey licked his lips, this was going to as hard as he'd thought it was going to be. 'Apparently the boys thought it would be funny to bring back a couple of girls from the gig with them to the party at Brett's house. I remember feeling a little bit unwell and I went to go lie down in one of the bedrooms. Brett noticed I'd disappeared and came looking for me and discovered me in a bedroom with two of the girls. Brett said I was completely unconscious on the bed and the girls had stripped me naked and were apparently trying to wake me up' he said 'he told me they'd written all over my chest with lipstick and had kissed my chest and face too.' he told her

'Is that all they did?' Lauren asked him.

Joey swallowed and shook his head, 'when I woke up this morning, I went to have a shower and when I was undressing I found some lipstick on my …' he trailed off and looked down briefly before raising his head to look at her 'I swear I have no idea how it got there…when I talked to Brett he said he walked in just as one of the girls was attempting to give me a blow job' he told her.

Lauren licked her lips and nodded her head 'I see' she said.

'I'm really sorry Lauren…I…' he told her sincerely 'I'm going to be having serious words with the boys about this'

'I thought you'd cheated on me' she said to him 'when I saw you like that…'

'I didn't' he told her 'I would never' he shook his head. 'Babe, you know me better than that'

Lauren took a deep breath 'I do' she said nodding her head. 'I do know you better than that, but it doesn't mean that I'm not pissed off at you or those two girls or your idiot friends' she told him with a frown 'And believe me when I say they are going to think twice before pulling another stunt like this' she told him firmly.

'I believe you' he told her.

'And you might want to warn your parents that there are naked pictures of your circulating on the internet in case they accidentally stumble on them' Lauren told him and she picked up her McDonald's bag and drink and carried it into the lounge. She sat down on the sofa and put her food on the table, Joey followed her and sat down beside her 'and Brett called me earlier this morning and explained everything to me' she replied.

'So you knew before you came home?' he asked her 'when I texted you?' he frowned slightly.

'For over 12 hours I thought you had cheated on me, despite me knowing you as well as I do, the doubt was there' she frowned at him 'I went through hell in those 12 hours'

'Okay, I get it, I do' he told her softly 'I'm sorry'

Popoki suddenly galloped into the room, meeping and purring as she did, she bypassed Joey and ran straight up to Lauren, jumping up onto her lap.

'Hello baby' Lauren smiled as she scooped up the kitten and pressed a kiss to her furry head.

'I see you two have finally made friends' Joey said with a small smile.

'Yep, we bonded last night' Lauren said 'she was licking the tears off my cheeks'

Joey put his arm around Lauren's shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head 'I love you so much, babe' he told her.

'Me too, Joey' Lauren replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After that little blip, things between Lauren were better than ever. Tonight was the night of Joey's last ever stripping gig and she knew the boys had a surprise for Joey at the end of it and there was nothing and no one that was going to make her miss it.

 **AN Thanks for all your reviews. Back soon, Dont forget to leave me a review xx**


	112. Chapter 112

**Chapter One Hundred and Eleven.**

Lauren had thoroughly enjoyed tonight's performance from her hiding place backstage. Joey was performing the last number and he was dressed as a builder. She smiled as she saw him walk onto the stage and as the music started he began to go through his routine. When the routine ended he was left wearing a red thong. The cheers and screams from the girls in the crowd made Lauren's ears hurt. Joey was about to walk off the stage when the music started again and the rest of the boys came in, Brett was carrying a robe for Joey, which he handed to him and Joey pulled it on.

'Ladies, ladies, a bit of hush please' Brett said holding the microphone up to his mouth, 'SHUT UP' he yelled out moments later when the noise didn't fade. The crowd silenced and Brett smiled 'We'd like to thank you all for coming to watch our show and we hope that you've all had a good time' a cheer filled the room. 'Oh well then we're glad to hear it. What you don't know is that it has been one of our members last ever performance tonight, he is leaving us for new ventures and is on the brink of opening up a new bar. The boys and I have got together and we brought a little goodbye gift for him.' He gestured to off stage and a couple of the club's crew brought on a very large package. 'Joey…this is a little something for the bar' he told him, Joey stepped forward and he unwrapped the package and discovered inside was a large photograph of him on stage wearing his fireman's costume. 'We thought your girlfriend might let you hang this one behind the bar' Brett teased him. 'Okay so now it's time for you to give us a speech' he told him and he handed the microphone to Joey.

Joey stood there for a few moments looking a little bit like a fish, just opening and closing his mouth before he found his voice. 'So much for me thinking that I was just going to be able to sneak out of here tonight without a big fuss' Joey said 'I have to say that working with these guys has been great and I've had a blast performing for you all tonight' he spoke into the microphone, another cheer filled the room and Joey smiled and then laughed 'but I'm focusing my attention on other things in my life right now, as Brett said I'm working on opening a new bar and you're all very welcome to come and share a drink with me when it opens' he said to the crowd, he was rewarded with another cheer 'and no before you ask there will not be strippers at this bar' he said 'I'm opening this bar with someone who means a great deal to me, not only is she my best friend, but she's also my girlfriend and hopefully soon to be my fiancé, well once I pluck up the courage to ask her to marry me that is' he said. Lauren couldn't believe what she was hearing, Joey was planning to propose to her. She walked to the edge of the stage as Brett came towards her. He smiled at her and took her hand leading her onto the stage. He walked up to Joey and took the microphone from him.

'Well there's no time like the present' he said 'there's a little something in the pocket of your robe' he told him. Joey frowned and pushed his hands into his pockets and pulled out the familiar little black box he'd purchased a few weeks back. 'And there's a certain someone here who's been watching backstage' he said stepping out of the way to reveal Lauren.

Joey locked eyes with her and she smiled at him, Joey blinked and swallowed and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He got down on one knee and one of the other boys put a fireman's helmet on his hand, making Lauren giggle. 'This might sway her decision' he whispered loudly so both of them could hear.

'Lauren, I love you, you're my best friend, my everything. Will you marry me?' he asked her and he opened the box. Lauren's eyes fell to the ring inside, a solitaire diamond, embedded in rose gold. The ring was beautiful and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Lauren wasn't aware of how much time had passed until she heard someone shout out if she didn't hurry up and say yes then they'd marry him instead. Lauren giggled nervously and looked at Joey, nodding her head.

'Yes' she said 'yes I'll marry you' she told him, Joey grinned, plucking the ring out of the box with shaking fingers and slid it on her finger. He stood up and pulled her close to him and kissed her. Cheers and applause filled the place and Joey ended the kiss, pulling her into a hug.

'This was supposed to be less public' he told her softly

'I think it's perfect' she replied. 'I love you so much Joey Matthews' she whispered, pulling him into another kiss.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL****

Later the two of them were backstage in one of the dressing rooms. Lauren was sitting on the chair as Joey was having shower. She licked her lips and looked down at her left hand, her engagement ring sat there, all sparkly and glorious. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. The proposal was perfect, yes okay, it wasn't exactly the way Joey had wanted to do it but it was the perfect proposal in Lauren's eyes. This was the way she knew she should've felt when Stuart proposed to her, feelings she didn't have. She felt excited about their future, about the wedding. She was looking forward to planning the wedding. It was something she and Joey could do together, she wondered if he wanted a long engagement or a short engagement. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about it, personally she wanted to set a date tonight and then start making plans for the wedding, but on the other hand they had a lot of things to do at the bar still and taking on wedding planning might be a bit too much for them to do at the moment. So maybe a long engagement would be better. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror and frowned, just as Joey opened the door from the en-suite and stepped into the room. She caught his eye in the mirror and he winked at her and she grinned.

'What are you thinking about, gorgeous?' he asked her, she turned around and stood up, as Joey pulled a t-shirt over his head. 'Planning the wedding in your head?' he asked her knowingly.

'No' she replied, but the reddening of her cheeks gave her away.

'So when is it?' he teased her 'how many bridesmaids are we having and who's going to be my best man?'

'We have a lot of things to do at the bar still' she told him. 'Trying to plan a wedding on top of that might be a little too much to handle' she said 'besides we only got engaged like an hour a go…' she said to him.

'So you want to wait?' he asked her 'until we get married? Have a long engagement?' Lauren looked at Joey's face and she could tell that he wasn't happy about that idea. She swallowed and looked down.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Don't forget to leave me a review back soon xxx**


	113. Chapter 113

**Chapter One Hundred and Twelve**

'That's okay' Joey said quickly 'we don't have to get married straight away, like you said we only got engaged an hour ago' he told her softly.

Lauren walked up to him and she circled her arms around his neck 'Joey, I would marry you tomorrow if it was possible to organise a wedding that quickly' she told him firmly before reaching up and kissing him softly 'but it isn't. We need to talk about the wedding, what we both want…see if we can agree on a date…'

Joey smiled down at her, placing his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him 'We'll figure things out' Joey told her 'and I'm going to be happy with whatever you want to do' he said to her 'I just want to marry you, how and where doesn't matter that much to me…I just want to be your husband' he bent his head and kissed her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth as he deepened the kiss and he walked her backwards until her back hit the wall.

'Joey…stop…we can't' she told him when he broke the kiss to move his mouth to her neck, one off his hands covered her breast, squeezing it gently.

'Why not, everyone will be clearing up and leaving…' he murmured, pulling at the front of her shirt, trying to get to the skin beneath. His fingers worked their way underneath and slid up her torso to cover her satin covered breast, Lauren moaned softly as he touched her.

'There's a party…' Lauren murmured in protest 'OH!' she exclaimed as Joey thrust a finger into her wet folds. She hadn't even been aware his other hand was busy working its way into her jeans and her knickers so his touch took her by surprise.

'A party?' Joey asked her before his mouth covered hers again. He inserted another finger and Lauren moaned into his mouth. Joey worked her to the brink of orgasm and then withdrew his fingers, pushing her jeans and knickers down her legs. She stepped out of them as he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist whilst her fingers freed his erection from the confines of his trousers. He hissed when she wrapped her fingers around his length and stroked him firmly a few times before positioning him at her centre. They both groaned as he slid into her warmth, the party forgotten.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett walked along the corridor towards Joey's dressing room, planning to hurry Joey and Lauren along, he and the rest of the boys were anxious to get home and start drinking, he and Lauren had planned a big send off for Joey. He was going to be missed. Not that they weren't going to see him again, Joey and Lauren had hired some of the boys to do some work at the bar, some of them were builders, plasterers, electricians and they were more than happy to help for free, but Lauren insisted they'd get paid but Brett was betting the boys would win this one and any money they were given as payment they would just use to buy more supplies for the bar. And the boys had decided that the bar was going to be their new local so all in all they would be seeing plenty of Lauren and Joey in the future. He paused as he heard soft moans coming from the dressing room and he stood outside listening for a few moments. He didn't hear any more moaning so he knocked lightly on the door to warn them he was about to come in, and then opened the door. He stared for a few moments and then grinned, backing out of the room and closing the door behind him. Joey and Lauren were too engrossed in each other to even know someone had come into the room. He laughed as he made his way back to his friends.

'Well, where are they?' Scott asked as Brett walked back into the corridors outside the dressing rooms alone.

'Let's just say that they're having party of their own right now' Brett said with a grin.

'What do we do? Do we wait for them?' Amanda asked him.

'Lauren, knows where the party is, she'll bring him along after they're done' Brett told them confidently, a smirk appearing on his face with his last couple of words 'come on, let's go' he took Amanda's hand in his and led her towards the exit, the rest of them following the couple.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'I think we should go home' Joey told her as he helped her redress.

'We can't' Lauren shook her head 'that will just have to tide you over for a bit' she smiled at him, slapping his hands away as he began to caress her breasts once more. 'The boys have organised a party for you and you have to go, being the guest of honour and all' she said struggling to remain focussed as she moved out of his reach and turned away from him. She looked in the mirror, smoothing down her hair as best she could. Joey watched as he checked her makeup and reached for her handbag.

'You look gorgeous' he told her with a smile, sliding his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. 'You always look gorgeous, even when you're sick' he said, pressing his lips to her neck, pressing his groin into his bottom. She could feel his growing erection and she giggled, wriggling out of his arms.

'Stop!' she told him 'We're already late'

'We could be even later…or better still we could just skip it altogether' he said hopefully, but Lauren firmly shook her head.

'That's not going to happen, Joey' she told him 'you and I are going to go this party and you're going to smile, and have a good time and we're going to stay for a few hours and then we can go home'

'A few hours?' Joey blinked at her, his eyes widening in shock. 'But I wanted to go home and have sex now'

'You always want sex, we can have sex anytime' Lauren said with a smile 'you denied Brett and the boys a send-off party last time. Are you really going to let them down and hurt their feelings tonight? They've worked really hard on this party, they're going to miss having you in the group'

Joey sighed as he turned and picked up his jacket, pulling it on 'you're really good at the guilt trips, babe' he told her.

'My mother taught me well' Lauren grinned at him as she reached out to take his hand.

'I want it noted that I'm reluctantly going to this party' he said, Lauren picked up her handbag as they walked to the door.

'Noted' Lauren smiled.

'And I'm putting you on notice. I want more sex tonight'

Lauren giggled as Joey closed the door behind them.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews, please dont forget to leave me one for this chapter... back soon. xx**


	114. Chapter 114

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen**

The party was in full swing when Lauren and Joey walked into Brett's house. Lauren had texted Brett in the car to let him know that they were on their way. 'I'm doing this under duress' Joey mumbled in complaint as Lauren dragged him towards the thumping music.

'Shut up' Lauren laughed as she pushed through the double doors. Brett turned and he nudged a couple of the lads and a loud raucous cheer filled the room.

'EVERYONE! THE MAN OF HONOUR IS HERE!' Brett yelled out over the music. A loud raucous cheer filled the room and the boys moved forward and grabbed Joey, pulling him through the throngs of people towards the centre of the room. Lauren smiled and she knew that despite Joey's protests, he was going to have a good time. She walked over to the bar and poured herself a white wine, walking over to stand at the edge of the room. She watched as Joey was hoisted up onto a bucking bronco Brett had hired for the night. She could see the glee and joy on Joey's face and she couldn't help but smile, laugh and cheer along with everyone else.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey had spent the night laughing and joking with his friends, he'd barely paid any attention to Lauren at all and he felt guilty about that a couple of hours into the party. Brett and the boys had gone to get more drinks and Joey looked around the room to see if he could find Lauren. He saw Amanda sitting with a group of girls, but couldn't see Lauren amongst them. He headed outside and found her sitting by the edge of the pool, her shoes beside her, her feet dangling into the pool. He smiled and bent down to take his shoes and socks off, and to roll up his trouser legs. He walked over to her and sat down beside her, dangling his feet in the water.

'Hey, you' he said softly, bumping her shoulder with his.

'Hey' Lauren turned her head slightly and smiled at him. 'Are you having a good time?' she asked him.

'Actually I am' he nodded his head with grin, 'that bucking bronco was awesome. You should have a go' he told her.

'I think you've had enough goes for the both of us' she told him with a smile 'you're pretty good at it'

'I've had go at a few in the states' Joey admitted to her 'but don't tell the others they think it was beginners luck'

'Your secret's safe with me' she replied.

'What about you, are you having a good time?' he asked her.

'I'm watching you have a good time so that makes me happy' she said turning her head to look at him.

'I feel bad for abandoning you all night' Joey told her.

'You didn't' she shook her head 'this party is for you and the boys, despite how manly and tough they look, they're all going to miss you' she told him, 'and you are going to miss them'

Joey nodded his head 'I am' he admitted. Lauren licked her lips and looked down 'no, I don't' Joey said softly, Lauren looked up at him.

'You don't what?' she asked already knowing what he was talking about.

'I don't regret the decision to leave the group' he said with a smile, he reached out and tilted her face towards his 'so you can stop worrying about it' he told her with a knowing smile 'it's time for me to focus my attentions on other things now, like the bar and you, our future together' he told her softly as his fingers stroked her cheek gently. 'You're all I want, all I need. I love you' he told her and he drew her into a soft tender kiss. He brushed his nose against hers 'maybe we should think about going home soon?' he asked her.

'I think your friends are going to have something to say about that' Lauren said softly as she saw them coming through the door towards the pool 'looks like they missed you' she said and she reached forward and cupped his face in her hands 'go play with the boys' she told him. Joey glanced over his shoulder before turning back towards Lauren and giving her a sympathetic smile.

'Another hour okay?' he promised her, 'we're on a promise right?'

'As long as you like, babe' she replied. Joey lifted his feet out of the pool and walked over to the group of lads. Lauren heard them all laugh and cheer and knew they'd be heading back in to have another go on the bucking bronco very soon.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

A couple of hours later, Lauren went back inside the house and saw Joey was on the bucking bronco again. He was clearly enjoying himself but she wanted to spend a little time with him tonight. It was getting late and she was beginning to feel tired. She moved closer to the bronco and waited for Joey to finish his turn. She caught his eye as he jumped off the machine and he pushed his way through the boys to go over to her. 'Hey' he said when he reached her side 'you okay?'

She nodded her head 'time for bed, cowboy' she told him.

'Okay, I'll just go say good night to the boys' he told her.

'They'll be here in the morning' she replied and she took his hand in hers and led him out of the room. Joey frowned as Lauren led him along the hallway before coming to a stop outside a door. She opened the door and led him inside, closing the door behind her. 'Everyone's staying here tonight' she told him. 'There's an overnight bag here for both of us and your dad was going to stop in and see Popoki' Lauren told him 'we've both been drinking so…Brett thought it would make sense' she said to him. She reached out and locked the bedroom door. 'Just in case your friends get any ideas' she told him as she moved forward to kiss him.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Don't forget to leave me a review for this chapter. Back soon.**


	115. Chapter 115

**Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen**

Joey let Lauren lead him towards the bed, she turned them when they reached it so Joey's back was to it. She sat him down and took off his shoes and socks and then pulled his t-shirt up over his head. She smiled as she saw his muscles rippling when he moved. 'Just because you're not stripping anymore doesn't mean that you get to give up going to the gym' she told him half seriously 'I like these' she said running her fingers over his six pack 'I like these a lot' she told him with a grin.

'Noted' Joey replied with a smile. 'I won't cancel the gym membership anytime soon then' he promised her.

'That's good to hear' Lauren replied pushing Joey to lay on his back. She moved over him, straddling his knees, she bent her head to kiss his six pack as her fingers worked on the fastenings of his jeans. Joey felt his jeans and boxers being pulled off his legs, shifting his hips to aid her quest and he was lying naked on the bed whilst Lauren was still fully clothed, something he felt needed to be rectified. He sat up and reached for her and Lauren pressed her palm into his chest, pushing gently. 'Uh-uh' she shook her head. 'It's my turn to play' she told him with a sly smile. She slid off the bed 'Don't move' she told him and she walked to the bathroom and went inside, closing the door behind her. Joey wondered what she was doing in the bathroom and hoped she wouldn't be too long. A few minutes later, far too long for Joey's liking, the bathroom door opened and Lauren stepped in…she was wearing her robe now, he frowned a little bit confused until he saw the cowboy hat she had on her head. He smiled having a faint idea of what was going to play out tonight.

Lauren crossed the room and climbed back onto the bed and straddled Joey again. She took his cock in her hands and stroked him slowly but firmly, all the while her eyes locked on his. Joey felt himself growing harder in her hand and he groaned softly, closing his eyes 'babe please' he murmured. His eyes shot open when he felt her take him into her mouth, he groaned and his hands grasped the sheets beneath him. Lauren worked his length in her mouth, scraping her teeth over his cock as she withdrew him from her mouth, swirling her tongue over the tip before taking him all the way back in again. Joey could feel his orgasm building and he groaned loudly. 'Babe, I'm close' he warned her. Usually when he said that she doubled her efforts and he'd soon be spurting his seed into her mouth, but this time his words had the opposite effect and she withdrew him from her mouth. He looked at her in surprise as he felt her shifting on his lap.

'That bucking bronco looked like a lot of fun' she said to him 'I think I might have a go' she told him and she sank down onto his length in one smooth movement. Joey's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he almost came there and then. Lauren kept still, giving him the chance to regain control of himself. He opened his eyes and he looked at her, a slow smile spread across his face as his hands moved to her hips, he bucked his hips upwards.

'You better hold on tight then, cowboy' he told her.

'Yeeeha!' Lauren giggled as she raised herself off his length Joey thrust upwards as she sank down on him again. She peeled off her robe and arched her back, placing her hands on his knees as she rode him hard and fast. Joey watched as she pleasured herself on him, her breasts jiggled with her movements and he wanted nothing more than to touch them, to taste them. He pulled her down hard onto his length and sat up, his hands slid up her back to tangle in her hair and he drew her into a kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Their lower halves were still but still joined, Joey took his time kissing her, revelling in the feeling of being inside her, every now and then she would clench her vaginal muscles and he groaned with a mixture of pleasure and pain. His hands moved to cup her breasts, he could feel the weight of them in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples and then pinching them between his forefinger and thumb, tugging on them gently. She gasped and ground against him, making him groan. He pulled her closer to him, taking one of her peaks into his mouth, sucking on her nipple and biting down gently with his teeth. Her breathing was quicker now and he knew she was close to coming, he slid one hand between their bodies, to find her clit and he started to rub, wanting to feel her coming around him.

'AH! JOEY!' she exclaimed loudly. 'JOOOOOEEEEEEEYYYYY!' she cried out as her orgasm hit her. She collapsed against him, breathing deeply and Joey turned them, moving over Lauren and he started to move his hips in a slow steady rhythm. He linked his fingers through hers and raised them over her head, staring down into her eyes as he made love to her until he finally reached his own peak.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey smiled as Lauren lay her head on his chest, 'are you happy, babe?' he asked her

'The happiest I've been for a long while' Lauren replied, turning her head slightly to press a kiss to his chest. 'You?' she asked him.

'I'd say the same' he told her, giving her a gentle squeeze. Lauren's fingers traced round his six pack. 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world and you walk into mine' he said.

Lauren giggled 'Casablanca?' she tilted her face to look up at him.

'It's a pretty apt quote' Joey said.

'Kiss me, kiss me as if it were the last time…' Lauren whispered softly.

'I think someone's been snooping in my DVD collection when I haven't been there' he said as Lauren reached up to press a kiss to his lips.

'You know I like snooping' Lauren murmured against his lips 'you know what else I like?'

'What?' Joey asked her as she trailed her lips along his throat.

'That naked thing that we do' she whispered in his ear, 'I like that a lot' her hand slid down his torso, over his six pack and lower…he hissed as her hand closed tightly around his cock and she began to stroke him firmly.

'I like the way you think, Miss Branning' he replied.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! YEEHA! Back soon. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	116. Chapter 116

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen**

The next morning, Joey rolled over in bed reaching for Lauren, opening his eyes when he discovered that her side of the bed was empty. He frowned and sat up in the bed, 'Lauren…babe?' he called out. He got no reply so climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom, which was also empty. With a sigh he started the shower, wondering where his fiancé was.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren looked up as she felt someone sit down beside her on the sofa, she smiled when she saw it was Brett.

'Morning' he smiled at her.

'Morning' she replied, smiling back.

'No Joey?' Brett looked around the room.

'He's still sleeping' Lauren told him 'snoring away like a bear'

Brett laughed 'yeah that sounds like Joey' he nodded his head. 'So, have you and Joey had a chance to talk about the wedding yet?'

'Briefly…no…not really' Lauren shook her head. 'I think he's worried that I'll want to have a long engagement'

'Do you?' he asked her.

'No' she shook her head 'but there's a lot of work to do at the bar still and planning a wedding on top of that...I'm not sure I'll be able to do it' she admitted to him.

'Well, maybe we can help you out with some things?' he asked her. 'We can get together once you and Joey have had a chance to have a proper talk about things' he suggested 'you don't have to decide now' he said sensing Lauren's hesitation 'you can think about it, call me when you decide what you want to do' he said to her with a smile. He looked up as Joey came into the room 'ah, here comes sleeping beauty' he grinned at her, 'I'll leave you to it' he said and he kissed Lauren on the cheek before getting up and heading towards Joey. Lauren watched as the two of them talked and then Joey came towards her and took Brett's vacant seat.

'He just told me he was hitting on you' Joey said with a slight frown.

'Well, I do seem to have a thing for strippers' she replied with a grin.

'It's plural now?' Joey feigned shock. 'Just how many of my friends are you sleeping with?' he asked her.

'None' Lauren shook her head. 'I sleep with you…'

'Well that's a relief' he let out a sigh.

'I just fuck your friends' she added with a giggle

'That's it I'm taking you home right now' he told her. And he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the sofa, he led her to the bedroom and opened the door, pulling her inside behind him. 'Get in there and pack up your stuff, you little tramp!' he slapped her bum as he closed the door behind them.

'Ouch! Hey!' she exclaimed and turned to frown at Joey 'that hurt!'

'Good. It was meant to' he told her 'hurry up and pack so we can go…home' he told her.

'I'm already packed. I've been packed for the last three hours. I've been waiting for you to get up' she told him softly. 'The boys have already left…you've missed them' she said 'but they said they'd stop by the bar and see you then' she told him as she grabbed her bag and place it on the bed so he could see it. 'Have you packed?' she asked him.

'No…' Joey shook his head, Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting down on the bed.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Popoki was aloof when they returned home, she'd run through to see who was at the door and then stopped when Lauren and Joey stepped over the threshold. She walked to her bowl and sat down waiting to be fed. Joey won that job as Lauren took their bags and the picture Joey had been given into the bedroom.

'Hello you' Joey said reaching out to stroke Popoki but she ducked out of his way and stared at the bowl on the floor as Joey filled it.

He sighed and washed his hands and went to find Lauren. 'What are you doing?' he asked her, watching as she tried to prop the picture the boys had given him up against the wall. 'I thought we were hanging this in the bar?' he asked her.

'I thought it would look nice up there' she teased him as she lifted it and walked across the room to prop it up against the wall. 'Speaking of the bar, we still haven't come up with a name for it yet' she told him. 'I need to order the signage and we need to start thinking about the branding' she said to him.

'We don't need to think about that now' Joey said walking over to her and sliding his arms around her waist.

'Yes, we do' Lauren said 'I need to draw the design. I can't just do it overnight, I need some time to come up with something we're both happy with' she said turning around in his arms. 'So, yes we do need to think about it now' Joey sighed and pressed his forehead against her. 'And we need to go to the bar and see how much has been done…see what's left to do'

'You're a slave driver' he groaned.

'We've put a lot of money into the bar, Joey. All the money we have plus the money from our parents, I don't know about you but I want to make the bar a success' she said to him with a slight frown on her face.

'You know I want to make a go of the bar too and I know how much time and hard work you've put into it whilst I've been doing gigs with the boys' he told her 'I just thought maybe you and I could make the most of me not having to go to a gig, you could maybe take a day off and we could spend the day together…we haven't done that for a while' he said softly.

Lauren looked up at him, reaching out to stroke his cheek gently, before sliding it to the back of his head. 'No, we haven't' she replied shaking her head.

'But…' he sighed

'No buts. I think it's a great idea' she said to him softly.

'You do?' he asked her, a little surprised.

'Of course I do' she told him 'maybe we could talk about the wedding?' she asked him.

'Sounds like a plan' he told her bending his head to kiss her.

 **AN: Thanks for all your review for TNT. Back soon, dont forget to leave me a review.**


	117. Chapter 117

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen**

Later the two of them were lying on the sofa together, both of them on their sides, Joey at the back and Lauren at the front.

'So we tell our families together?' he asked her.

'I think it's about time they meet don't you? I mean it makes sense that they meet each other before the wedding, right?' she asked him.

'It does' he nodded his head. 'Where?'

'How about the Vic?' she suggested. 'We could all stay at the B&B'

'When?' he asked her.

'Next weekend?' she said 'or do you think that's too short notice?'

'Nope, I think it will work. You call your parents and I'll call mine?' he said.

'Okay'

'Meet back here in ten minutes?' he said.

'Deal' Lauren nodded her head and stole a kiss before getting off the sofa. She went into the bedroom to make her call, leaving Joey in the lounge.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Lauren returned to the room fifteen minutes later, Joey was lying on his back on the sofa with Popoki sitting on his chest. 'Did it go okay?' Lauren asked him.

'Yep, mum and dad are free and they'll talk to Alice when she gets back from work' he glanced up at her. 'You?'

'Mmmhmm' Lauren nodded her head. 'I spoke to Abi first and she was telling me about a boy she's met that she likes…and then I spoke to mum and dad and they think it's a good idea. In fact dad said it was about time they all met' she said as she scooped Popoki off his chest, kissed the top of her head and put her down on the floor, 'sorry baby, but that's my spot' she said with a smile. 'Shift over you' she nudged Joey with her knee as she started to get on the sofa.

'I thought of a name for the bar while you were on the phone' he said to her 'but I'm not sure that you're going to like it' he said.

'What is it?' she asked him as she got comfortable besides him.

'Tsunami' he said and he held his breath as he waited for her response. 'You hate it?' he said after a few minutes had passed without Lauren saying a word.

'Actually…I think it's the perfect name' Lauren told him with a smile. 'See I knew you were more than just a pretty boy' she grinned at him. 'I can draw up some sketches later…I have a few ideas in mind already…'

'Well, then I look forward to seeing them' Joey told her with a smile 'I'm sure they will be amazing…but we're getting off topic here, we're supposed to be talking about the wedding' he told her. 'I know we have the bar to finish and open and I know there's still a lot of work to be completed…'

'Huge amounts of work' Lauren nodded her head, her mind wandering back to the bar as she thought about the long list of things that still needed to be done, although now she could cross off naming of the bar off the list. 'You want us to have a date for the wedding when we tell our parents we're engaged?' she asked him.

'I don't want to rush you...'

'I've already told you I don't want to wait forever to marry you' she said softly, her fingers ran over his shirt and started to play with the buttons, 'but I don't see how we can plan the bar and the wedding at the same time, it's a lot of work and potentially a lot of stress' she said to him softly.

'So we keep the wedding simple' Joey said and then he frowned 'unless you want to have a big wedding' he said to her.

'What do you want?' Lauren asked him.

'I want whatever makes you happy' Joey told her with a smile. Lauren took a deep breath and rolled her eyes 'what's that for?'

'You…not helping in deciding what kind of wedding we're going to have, telling me it's up to me and that you'll be happy if I'm happy' she said to him 'I want to know what kind of wedding you want and if it differs from what I want then we compromise and meet somewhere in the middle, something we're both happy with' she said.

Joey nodded his head 'Well, we've both had bad experiences with church weddings…so maybe we decide not to go down that route again' Lauren nodded her head in agreement. 'We could have a small service at a registry office? Or we could get married in another venue aside from church?'

'Like where?' Lauren asked him. 'It would have to be a place that had some significance to us or they'd be no point to it' she said.

'We could get married in Hawaii?' he suggested 'on the beach?'

'Flights to Hawaii are really expensive, Joey, throw in hotels on top of that and we won't have many, if any guests at the wedding' she said to him. 'Although I do love the idea of getting married on the beach. Sadly though with the UK weather being unpredictable I think we can rule out a beach wedding in the UK too' she said. 'I think we go with the registry office' she told him 'have a small intimate wedding and then have a huge reception afterwards' she suggested.

'We could have the reception at the bar?' he said to her 'free venue…cut price drinks…'

'We're not due to finish the bar or open it for 18 months. You want to wait that long for us to get married?'

'I'm free during the day now so I can work on the bar. Between us we should be able to cross a lot of things off the list we need to do' he said 'we could open sooner than 18 months'

'And Brett said he'd be happy to help out too' Lauren remembered the conversation she'd had with him earlier that morning.

'So, then I guess we go to the club tomorrow and see where we're at and then make decision on the wedding date?' Lauren nodded her head.

'That sounds like a plan' Lauren said softly. She wriggled on the sofa and moved closer to Joey, he wrapped his arms round her and she moved forward and kissed his neck softly 'I love you' she whispered softly 'and I can't wait to marry you'

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Back soon. Don't forget to leave me a review xx**


	118. Chapter 118

**One Hundred and Seventeen**

The weekend came and Lauren and Joey drove to Albert Square an hour before the dinner was due to start. They headed to the Vic and Joey ordered them both a drink. They sat down at a table and looked around at the people in the pub.

'Are you sure you want to do this here? It's pretty crowded' Joey said to her as he looked around nervously.

'It's 7:00pm on a Saturday night, it's bound to be busy' Lauren replied raising an eyebrow 'are you getting cold feet, Mr Matthews?' she teased him. 'Because we don't have to tell them tonight, I could take off the ring and put it in my purse?'

'There's just a lot of people here…we're about to share some very exciting and personal news with our families and there are complete strangers here…I just feel a bit exposed…'

Lauren blinked at him, she was finding it very hard to keep a straight face. 'Really?' she asked him. She was unable to hide her amusement and she started to laugh, putting her drink down on the table in case she spilt it. Joey frowned at her.

'Okay, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting…what's so funny?' he asked her.

'I'm sorry' she said after she'd managed to compose herself. 'I just found those words funny coming from you' she told him 'You feeling exposed…you being a stripper'

'Ex stripper' Joey replied.

'It's funny nonetheless' Lauren said giggling 'you have to see that' Joey glared at her, but when he looked down at his glass she could see the faint smile on his lips, she picked up her drink and took a sip before placing it back on the table. 'You didn't answer my question' Lauren told him. 'Do you want to wait to tell our parents?' she asked him. Joey looked up at her and shook his head.

'No, I don't want to wait' he told her with a smile 'no doubt our mother's will want to start talking arrangements'

'Mine will start making a list of relatives I've never even heard of to invite' she said pulling a face. 'Maybe this would be the time to tell them we just want to have an intimate ceremony with close family and friends only?' she looked up at him and he nodded his head.

'Maybe even throw in the word registry office?' Joey suggested 'see what their reaction's going to be?'

'We tell them that we are getting married at a registry office and that our decision is final' Lauren said to him 'and it's what we both want'

Joey nodded his head 'And do you think they'll be okay with it?' he asked her.

'I have no idea' Lauren shook her head with a sigh. She picked up her glass and drained it and looked at Joey 'my round?' she said slipping off the seat before he had a chance to reply.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'I guess its show time' Joey said as he saw his parents and sister walk into the pub followed by Lauren's family. He looked at Lauren and she stood up and held out her left hand to him. Joey smiled and took it, squeezing gently before he kissed the back of it. Joey led her towards their families and he made the introductions.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren took a deep breath as Joey called for everyone to be quiet. He waited until everyone's attention was on him, he glanced at Lauren and she smiled at him nodding her head in encouragement. 'Lauren and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight, we thought it was about time you all met each other' he said, he paused and licked his lips and he looked at Lauren and felt his heart swell with love for her 'and we thought it would be the perfect time to tell you that I asked Lauren to marry me a few days ago and she said yes' he told everyone with a grin.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Derek insisted on buying champagne for everyone to celebrate the joining of the two families. Both sets of parents and families were thrilled by the news Joey had just given them. Joey looked at Lauren who was currently surround by the females of their families who were cooing over the ring Joey had given her and wanting to hear how romantic his proposal was. Joey winked at her and she smiled at him, sending his heart into a flutter. He thought back to the first time he'd seen her, even then he knew there was something special about her, he knew he wanted her to be in his life…those six weeks they'd spent together had been the most intense and shortest of his life and he'd fallen for her hook, line and sinker. Things between them hadn't gone exactly to plan but now…now he was going to marry her…she was going to be his wife and they were going to be happy. The bar was going to be successful and they would have everything they wanted, then maybe a few years down the line they would start thinking about having some kids…his mind stopped as he had that thought and he turned to look at Lauren again. He wanted to have children with her, they hadn't really talked about it, the bar had taken up a lot of their time, but now he'd thought about it he could picture her with a perfectly rounded belly…or with a child on her hip. He licked his lips, put his drink down on the bar and walked over to her, taking her hand in his.

'Excuse me, ladies, I just need to borrow Lauren for a second' he told the group of women that were gathered around her. Lauren frowned as Joey pulled her out of the pub, and down the alleyway by the side. He pushed the gate shut and turned to look at her.

'What is it? What's wrong?' Lauren asked him worriedly.

Joey smiled, shaking his head, 'there's nothing wrong' he told her 'I just need to do this' he said cupping her face in his hands and bringing her lips to his for a kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth as he kissed her hungrily. Not that Lauren was complaining but she wondered what had suddenly come over Joey. She'd been watching him as he stood at the bar and she knew he was thinking and she saw the exact moment he'd realised something. And now she was out here being thoroughly kissed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, feeling her desire for him rising with each passing second. When the kiss ended, both of them were a little breathless and a little hot and bothered. 'I am so in love with you, Lauren Branning' he told her softly.

'I know how you feel' she replied with a smile 'as much as I hate to say this, we should go back inside' she told him.

He nodded his head 'I know' he whispered, his eyes fell to her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again. She smiled at him as he moved forward and closed the gap between them as his lips captured hers again. His hands found their way to her hips and he pulled her against his growing erection, causing them both to moan, Joey's lips moved to her neck and she tilted her head to one side to give him better access.

'Joey…' she whispered softly 'we should get back…' he chuckled against her neck.

'I know, we are…we will' he murmured between kisses. 'But I think we should leave soon' he told her, 'head back to the B&B' he whispered in her ear.

'Mmhmm' she nodded as his hand slid up to cover her breast 'Oh God!' she exclaimed and she reluctantly but firmly pushed him away from her. 'We give it another half an hour and then we make our excuses and leave' she said to him.

Joey nodded his head. 'You go in first…I just need a few minutes' he told her. Lauren nodded her head with a giggle, as she walked passed him, her hand grazed the front of his trousers and he groaned softly.

'You are in so much trouble!' he called after her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren walked back into the Vic and headed to the table to pick up her drink. She turned to look at the door as it opened, expecting to see Joey but instead she saw a gorgeous blonde. Lauren turned away and decided to talk to Derek…she stopped in her tracks when she saw the look of surprise on his face as he stared at the blonde who had just entered. Lauren frowned as she walked over to him. 'Are you okay?' she asked him 'you look as though you've just seen a ghost' she tried to lighten the atmosphere.

Derek looked at her and then back at the blonde. 'I'm sorry, Lauren' he said, the door opened again and Lauren turned to see Joey walk in. His eyes scanned the bar looking for her and then he stopped in his tracks as the blonde walked up to him. Lauren frowned as she watched the colour drain from Joey's face.

'Who is that?' she whispered to Derek.

'That… is Sarah' Derek replied. 'Joey's ex'

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Don't forget to leave me a review. Back soon. xxx**


	119. Chapter 119

**One Hundred and Eighteen**

Lauren's mouth fell open, she had no idea this was what Sarah looked like. Nor did she have any idea what she was doing at her engagement party. She didn't like the way she was looking at Joey and she certainly didn't like the way Joey was looking at her. She straightened her back and drained her glass of champagne before turning to the bar and picking up another two and she walked towards them.

'There you are, baby' she practically purred as she reached his side, 'here' she handed him a glass of champagne. 'Are you feeling better now?' she asked him. His eyes met hers and he nodded his head as Lauren slipped her arm around him, sliding her hand into the back pocket of his jeans. 'Your parents have just brought even more champagne, I guess they're thrilled that we're engaged' she said with a giggle as she completely ignored the woman standing in front of them 'another half an hour and then we sneak out as agreed' she said softly. Joey smiled at her, nodding his head. Lauren took a sip of her champagne and she turned her attention to Sarah.

'You must be Lauren, I'm…'

'Gate crashing a private party?' Lauren asked her as she felt Joey's arm move around her shoulders, he gave her a gentle squeeze.

'I'm sorry…I just wanted to talk to Joey' she said 'we're old friends'

'Rob not with you?' Lauren asked her, knowing full way she was alone but wanting the other woman to know she knew who she was and her history with Joey. Sarah blinked, her eyes darting to Joey before moving back to Lauren.

'What are you doing here, Sarah?' Joey asked, finally getting his voice back.

'I thought you and I needed to talk' she said to him 'Alice told me you'd be here today…we bumped into each other a couple of days ago…' she said, Joey's eyes moved to Alice who was watching with a worried expression on her face.

'And you thought you would just turn up?' Joey asked her with a frown. 'I don't think we have anything to talk about' he told her. 'Shall we get back to the party, babe?' he looked down at Lauren. She nodded her head as she smiled up at him.

'Sounds like a good idea' she replied. Joey led her away from Sarah and they joined Derek, Max and Jack at the bar. Sarah stared after them for a few minutes and then walked out.

'What did she want?' Derek asked Joey, whilst Max and Jack were talking to Lauren.

'I don't know and I don't care, I have nothing to say to her' he told his father.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Half an hour later, Lauren and Joey had snuck out of the party, Lauren had even managed to grab a bottle of champagne as they left. Joey let them back into their room and he walked over to the bed and sat down, taking his shoes and socks off. He stood up as he peeled his t-shirt off. 'I think I'm going to have a shower, babe' he told her.

'Okay' Lauren nodded her head. She wasn't sure if she should follow him, she wasn't sure what he was thinking or feeling since Sarah just turned up the way she did. They'd not really had a chance to talk about it, and she'd hoped he'd open up to her once they were alone, but that didn't seem to be the case. She'd felt jealous when she'd seen her. Not that Joey had given her any reason to be jealous, other than the way he was staring at her. She wondered what he was thinking. Did he want to talk to Sarah? She sighed and sat down on the bed as she heard the shower start up. She opened the bottle of champagne, pouring herself a glass and taking a long drink. She toed off her shoes and walked to the window, looking outside. She was so lost in her thoughts and worries that she didn't hear the shower stop, or the bathroom door open. She jumped when two strong arms wrapped around her waist and warm lips started to kiss her neck.

'I hoped you were going to join me in the shower' a husky voice whispered in between kisses. When she didn't reply he frowned and he turned her round to look at him. It was only then Lauren realised he was completely naked. He took the bottle of champagne from her and took a drink before setting it on the shelf 'I thought we were supposed to be celebrating…' he trailed off.

'What do you think Sarah wants? Why has she suddenly turned up out of the blue like that?' she asked him.

'I don't know and I don't care and I have no desire to find out' Joey told her, taking her hands and leading her towards the bed. 'Right now all I'm thinking about is getting you naked' he said turning her once they'd reached the bed, he pulled at the bottom of her shirt and she raised her arms as he lifted it up over her head, tossing it away once it was off. He undid her jeans and her hands covered his, stopping him.

'I'm sorry, Joey. I'm not in the mood' she told him, pushing him away slightly and moving around him. She bent down and picked up her t-shirt pulling it on again before zipping up her jeans. Joey sighed.

'I don't want Sarah, I want you' he told her 'seeing her again was a surprise, but not a pleasant one. There is nothing she can say to me that is going to change my mind about you…about us' he said, Lauren reached for the champagne and took another drink. 'She could be standing here naked, begging me to fuck her and I'd walk away. There's only one woman I want to be naked, begging me to fuck her and that's you'

'Joey…' Lauren sighed shaking her head.

'I'm telling you the truth babe, I thought that was why we snuck out of the party early?' he said to her.

'Yes, it was but…'

'But what? What's changed in the last hour?' he asked her.

'Your ex turned up' Lauren frowned.

'Uninvited' Joey reminded her

'Aren't you in the least bit curious as to why?' she asked him.

'No not really' Joey shook his head. 'I haven't spoken to her since the day before the wedding. We have nothing to talk about'

Lauren turned round to look at him 'are you being serious right now?' she frowned at him 'you really don't want to know what she's got to say?'

'Nope. She is in the past, that part of my life is over. All I want to concentrate on is my future with you' he said.

Lauren sighed, she knew he was telling her the truth but she wanted to know why his ex was back. She didn't understand why Joey wasn't bothered. 'I think I'm going to go for a walk' she told him.

Joey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'Babe, you don't need to do that…whatever is going on in that head of yours I can guarantee you it's not what's going to happen.' She looked up at him in surprise. 'I know you, remember?' he asked her. 'You are the woman I want to marry' she opened her mouth to speak 'and yes I was going to marry Sarah, but you were going to marry Stuart and I don't feel threatened or jealous about the fact that you are friends with him, and no Sarah and I will never be friends and I'm not sorry about that. She has no part to play in my life anymore' he said walking over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, 'you have nothing to worry about, Lauren, I promise. I love you. I'm marrying you. I'm going to have babies with you'

'Babies?' she looked up at him.

Joey nodded his head 'three, maybe four' he told her.

'Four?' she swallowed.

'Mmhmm, I have a feeling I'm going to find you very sexy when you're pregnant' he told her.

'Four?' she repeated. Joey laughed softly.

'Not right this second, we still have the bar to open, some money to save, but a few years down the line… I like the sound of four kids running around' he told her. 'You do want to have kids right?' he asked her. To be truthful she'd not really taken the time to think about it, not in depth anyway, but in that moment as she looked at Joey she knew the answer to his question.

'Yes…with you' she replied with a small smile. 'But four?'

'We don't have to decide how many right this second' he said to her 'we have time to figure it out'

Lauren chewed on her bottom lip 'when did you decide on four?' she asked him.

'I know we've never talked about it, and I haven't really spent a lot of time thinking about it, but it kind of hit me today…when everyone was gathered round you and I looked at you and I just thought there is the mother of my children…and I could picture you pregnant…with a child on your hip and I was excited about the prospect of becoming a dad…of getting you pregnant' he said with a small smile. 'Sometime, a few years from now…obviously' Joey watched as a slow smile spread across Lauren's face.

'Hearing you say that makes me feel all tingly…' she admitted to him 'you wanting to get me pregnant, have babies with me'

'What kind of tingly?' he asked her softly as his hands moved to her t-shirt again, pulling it up and over her head.

'The kind of tingly I get when we do naked things' she replied with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Joey's neck, her earlier worries about Sarah forgotten.

'Well in that case…' he took her hand and led her to the bed.

 **AN: Thanks for your review, glad you are enjoying TNT. back soon. Dont forget to leave me a review x**


	120. Chapter 120

**One hundred and Nineteen**

 **'** So, has the last…' Joey turned his head to look at his watch on the table beside the bed 'hour and a half put your mind at rest at all?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded her head with a shy smile 'yes, thank you' she replied, moving her head so she could look up at him.

'Good' he smiled back at her 'it's you and me, babe, forever' Lauren giggled suddenly as a thought popped into her head. 'What's so funny?' he asked her.

'You're going to think this is really silly, but when I was little I remember asking mum when I was going to meet my forever man' she told him.

'Forever man?' Joey raised his eyebrows in amusement.

'Mmhmm. Mum said dad was hers forever because they'd got married and had babies and I wanted to know if I would ever find a forever man. I guess now I have' she said with a giggle.

'That's kind of cute' Joey told her. 'Not that I want you putting those kind of ideas in our future daughter's head. She'll be banned from dating until she's forty' Joey told her half seriously.

Lauren smiled shaking her head 'we might end up having four boys' she told him softly 'do the same rules apply to them?' she asked him.

Joey shook his head 'a young man needs to go out there and sow his wild oats' he said with a grin.

'Typical' she rolled her eyes 'you do know your oat sowing days are over, don't you?' she asked him.

Joey nodded his head 'I'm good with that' he told her honestly. 'You're the only girl I want' he replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later that night, Joey was asleep in the bed and Lauren found she couldn't stop thinking about Sarah and wondering why she'd suddenly turned up. She got out of bed and pulled on her robe and she headed downstairs. She was surprised to see the light on in the lounge, she walked into the room and saw Derek sitting in the chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

'Hello Lauren' he said seeing her enter 'can't sleep?' he asked her, she shook her head with a sigh and sank down onto the sofa. 'Do you want to talk about it' Lauren licked her lips and shook her head again. Derek got up and poured another scotch and took it over to her 'here, this will help you sleep' he said handing it to her. He returned to his chair and sat down again.

'Thank you' she replied softly, taking a sip, the amber liquid burned a path down her throat as she swallowed. '

'Is Joey still asleep?' Derek asked.

'He's out like a light' Lauren said 'he can pretty much sleep through anything' she told him 'do you remember that really bad storm we had about three weeks ago?' Derek nodded his head. 'He slept through that'

Derek smiled 'yeah, even as a little boy he was always a good sleeper' he said. He took a mouthful of scotch and swallowed. 'Sarah turning up like that was a bit of a surprise' Derek said, Lauren looked up at him briefly 'does Joey know what she was doing here?'

'No and he doesn't seem to want to know either' Lauren said with a frown.

'Sounds like Joey, but you're curious?' he said 'well that makes two of us' Derek told her. 'I was thinking of paying her a visit'

'Joey will go mad if he finds out' Lauren told him.

'I know' he nodded his head sadly 'but I don't want her to ruin things between you and Joey'

Lauren swallowed 'you think she could?' she asked him a little panicked.

If I know Sarah she's going to do everything she can to try to. I wonder what's made her crawl out of the woodwork again' he frowned thoughtfully.

'That's what I'd like to know?' Lauren replied, taking another sip of scotch.

'You leave it to me sweetheart, I'll get to the bottom of it' he said with a smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The next morning, Joey woke up and reached for Lauren, frowning when he saw her side of the bed empty. He groaned and rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes as he wondered where she'd gone. He didn't have to wonder for long, the door to the room opened and she came in with couple of takeout cups of coffee and a white paper bag. He smiled as he pushed himself to sit up. 'You went out for breakfast?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' she nodded her head with a grin. She walked over to the bed and gave him the coffees, dropping the bag onto the bed. She quickly undressed and climbed into bed beside him. 'Morning' she leant over and kissed him softly.

'Morning' Joey replied reaching into the bag. 'I love these!' he said as he pulled out a pastry.

'I know' she told him softly.

'So I think it was safe to say that everyone was pleased about our engagement' he said to her.

'Looks that way' Lauren nodded her head in agreement, she took a deep breath and looked down at her pastry and picked a piece off and ate it. Joey frowned.

'You still worried about Sarah?' he asked her.

'I guess' she shrugged.

'So last night didn't convince you that I want you? That I love you?' he asked her. Lauren turned to look at him.

'Of course it did' she said surprised he'd asked. 'Not that I needed a night of great sex to prove that' she told him 'I'm not worried about us. I'm worried about what she wants and why she suddenly decided to crawl out of the woodwork after all this time' she told him. 'And just so you know I am fully prepared to have a bitch fight with her if she even thinks about trying to get her hands on you'

Joey smiled 'good to know' he told her with a nod of his head. 'Not that it's going to come to that, hey' he said softly as Lauren decided she didn't want the pastry anymore and she dropped it back into the bag and reached for her coffee. 'So what do you want to do today?' he asked her 'do you want to hang around here for the day?'

'We should get home to Popoki' Lauren told him softly 'and I need to check on the bar…'

'The bar can wait for a weekend and I'm sure Brett is taking good care of Popoki' he said 'I thought you'd like to spend some time with your parents and friends'

'I just want to go home, Joey' Lauren told him. 'I'm going to take a shower' she said and she climbed out of bed. Joey sighed as he watched her go. What should have been a weekend of celebrations and joy for both Lauren and Joey had turned into a bit of a downer, all thanks to Sarah. Joey frowned, there was no way in Hell he was going to let her fuck things up between him and Lauren. Maybe he needed to pay her a visit and find out what she wanted, for Lauren's peace of mind if nothing else.

 **AN:Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Here's another chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review. Back soon x**


	121. Chapter 121

**One Hundred and Twenty**

Later that morning, Lauren was at home, sitting at the dining room table with reams of paper surrounding her as she tried to work out how much money they'd spent so far on the bar. She was getting nowhere, bookkeeping and accounts weren't hers or Joey's forte. She had no idea how he'd managed to keep the bar afloat for so long without some basic accounting knowledge, but he had. There was only one person she knew that could help her out and explain to her how to keep accounts. She picked her mobile up and called Lucy. Five minutes later and her friend was on her way. Lauren got up and made some coffee and played with Popoki until she heard a car pull up outside. She let Lucy in, who had a large bag with her and they made their way to the table. Lauren poured them both a coffee and they sat down.

'So where's Joey?' Lucy asked her. 'Shouldn't he be helping you with this?'

'He said he had some things to take care of this morning' Lauren said to her 'knowing him he's having a beer with Brett and the boys' she sighed. 'And besides he has even less idea about this kind of stuff than I do'

'But he ran a bar' Lucy said surprised.

'And yet…' Lauren looked at her. 'Thanks for coming at such short notice' Lauren said to her 'I really appreciate it'

'Hey, that's what best friends do, right? Besides, there are only so many fried eggs you can cook before you want to start stabbing people in the eye with a fork' she said casually. Lauren blinked at her.

'Maybe you need a career change' she said as Lucy pulled out a couple of large foolscap books and an A4 one.

'You might be right' she said 'Okay so let's make a start' she told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Three hours later, Lauren had a better understanding of how to keep track of their accounts. And she'd even got it down on paper and it matched the figure that she'd been keeping in her head. Lucy had shown her how to complete the books and explained that there was a computer programme they could also use to do this…but it was good to have the books as a back-up and a double check. Lauren made them both lunch once they'd tidied things away and they sat down on the sofa to eat.

Joey came in as they were halfway through their lunch 'hey, babe. I'm home' he called out as he opened the door. 'Oh, hi, Lucy' he said with a frown 'I didn't know you were here'

'Last minute decision' Lauren replied 'where have you been?' she asked him.

'With Brett' Joey told her 'met up with the boys, had a few beers' he grinned at her. Lauren and Lucy exchanged glances.

'And this was the "thing" you had to do today?' Lauren asked him.

'Yep' he nodded his head 'very important thing to do' he said stealing a sandwich off Lauren's plate and taking a bite 'had a catch up, you know' he said to her 'mmm this is good…hey! I was eating that' he exclaimed as Lauren snatched it back out of his hand.

'Get your own' Lauren frowned at him, taking a huge bite of the sandwich.

'Okay, I think I'm going leave you to it' Lucy said to them both 'thanks for lunch Lauren' she said putting her empty plate on the coffee table.

'You're welcome and thanks for your help today, I wouldn't have figured it out without you' she told her friend with a smile 'I'll see you out' she told her.

Joey walked into the kitchen as the two girls walked to the front door. He could hear them talking softly as he made himself a coffee and a sandwich. The front door closed as Joey took Lucy's seat on the sofa and Lauren walked back over to him, sitting beside him. 'So what was Lucy doing over here?' he asked her.

'Helping me with the accounts' she said to him. 'We now have a proper bookkeeping system in place' she picked up her sandwich and started to eat again. 'So did you happen to ask the boys how they're doing at the bar or was at all stripping talk?' she asked him.

'Mainly stripping talk' he said with a guilty smile. 'Sorry'

'You realise that this bar needs to be successful, right?' she asked him with a frown 'Otherwise all we've done is thrown away all the money we had and saddled ourselves with a huge debt we're never going to be able to pay for?' she snapped at him and she got up off the sofa and went through to the bedroom. He heard the door slam shut and closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for Lauren to be angry with him, especially since he knew her anger had nothing to do with the bar and everything to do with Sarah. He sighed, he needed to do some damage control.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Derek answered his phone on the first ring. 'Joey? Is everything okay?' he asked his son.

'No, not really dad, I need a favour' Joey said, Derek felt a cold shiver run through him. Several years earlier a conversation with his son had started the same way and ended up with Joey flying halfway across the world where he disappeared off the radar for over a year. This time Derek was going to do whatever his son needed.

'You got it' he replied 'what do you need?' Derek asked him.

'I need to know where Sarah lives, can you find out for me? I think I need to pay her visit' he replied with a sigh.

'You've had a change of heart' Derek said 'you were adamant in the Vic you didn't want to know why she was back' he reminded him and Joey sighed.

'I don't. Lauren, however, does…so…' he trailed off.

'Okay, I'll find out and call you back' he said to him 'it might not be today'

'That's fine' Joey said 'thanks dad' he said 'I'll talk to you later' he hung up and looked towards the bedroom, now he had to go and tell Lauren what he planned to do.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, dont forget to leave me one for this chapter. Back soon. x**


	122. Chapter 122

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One**

Joey walked through to the bedroom, opening the door and stepping inside. 'I am taking the bar seriously, Lauren' he told her 'and I want it to be successful. We've both put in a lot of hard work already and I don't want that to be wasted' he said. She looked up at him, letting the magazine she'd been reading drop to her lap. 'Brett assured me everything was running smoothly and that there's nothing for either of us to worry about' he licked his lips as he walked over to the bed.

'You could've just said that to start with, Joey' Lauren said with a slight frown.

'I know, I should've, I'm sorry' he told her, sitting down next to her. 'So you've had a crash course on accounting?' he asked her and she nodded her head.

'Lucy does the books for the Café' she replied.

'So, you'll be able to show me what we need to do?' he asked her.

'If you want' she shrugged.

'I do' he nodded his head 'I want us to be able to share the workload between us' he replied and he reached out and took her hand, playing with her fingers. 'You and me… we're partners remember, that means we both need to be able to pull our weight and cover all aspects of owning and running a bar' he told her 'even the bits we hate, like accounting' he added with a smirk.

Lauren rolled her eyes at him 'we both know I'm going to be the one who's going to end up doing it anyway, but…I promise I will show you how to do it too' she told him.

'Thank you' Joey smiled at her and he moved forward and kissed her softly 'that's all I ask' he took a deep breath 'Listen, I've been thinking about what you said…wondering why Sarah has suddenly appeared on the scene again' he told her.

'You have?' Lauren swallowed, not sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say next.

'Yeah, and I decided you were right. We do need to know what she wants, so I called dad earlier and asked him to find out her address for me and I'll go round and ask her what she wants' he told her with a smile, thinking she would be pleased with his decision.

'I thought you didn't want to know why she was back, I thought you said you didn't care why she was back?'

'I don't' he said, shaking his head 'but it's worrying you so I thought I'd go and find out'

'So you've just changed your mind now? You want to see her, to talk to her?' she frowned at him.

'If it's the only way to find out what she wants…' he told her, Lauren nodded her head as she pulled her hand out of his. Joey frowned at her action. 'I thought that was what you wanted me to do?' he said to her.

'What I want you to do is to be honest with me' Lauren frowned at him, feeling her temper rising.

'I am being honest with you' he replied.

'Are you?' she asked him 'are you telling me that there isn't some part of you who wonders if Sarah has changed? That you're not still attracted to her on some level? You were going to marry her, Joey'

'She cheated on me' Joey reminded her 'whatever I felt for her is long gone'

'Is it?' she asked him 'you never dealt with it, you never talked about it with her, or argued or saw if you could get past it. You took off and flew half way around the world to get away from her, from your problems' she snapped at it 'because let's face it Joey, that's what you do isn't it? You run away from your problems. You did it with her, you did it with me…'

'I came back to you' he replied

'No, Joey, you didn't. You and I wouldn't be together now if we hadn't bumped into each other in the bank…you'd been back in London for months and not once did you call me or come and see me…and you never would have'

'You don't know that' he said shaking his head, wondering where all this anger and accusation was coming from.

'No?' Lauren raised her eyebrows at him 'you told me you didn't want to see her, that you didn't know want to know why she was back…but now you want to go and see her and find out what she wants. What are you going to do when she tells you what you want?'

'I don't know' Joey said with a frown 'it depends what she wants' he told her.

Lauren blinked at him and shook her head 'I think deep down that you want to see her…I saw the look on your face when you saw her in the Vic…'

'I was surprised to see her' he said 'she was the last person I expected to see' Lauren nodded her head and she got off the bed and walked out of the bedroom and through to the lounge. Joey frowned, getting up and following her.

'Don't just walk away when we're in the middle of a conversation' he told her angrily.

'Oh, is it only you who gets to do that?' Lauren snapped at him, slamming the door of the fridge, a cold soda in her hand. Joey blinked at her.

'Why are trying to turn this into a fight?' he frowned at her 'I thought this was what you wanted me to do?' he asked her.

'Yes, I want you to go and spend time with your ex-girlfriend, Joey' she snapped at him angrily. 'That's what Id' been hoping you'd tell me you were going to do'

'Lauren…' Joey sighed, reaching out for her.

'DON'T' she slapped his hands away, pushed past him and returned to the bedroom, the sound of the door slamming once again resonated through the flat.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Joey sat in the lounge feeling very confused. He'd thought by telling Lauren he'd decided to go pay Sarah a visit would be what Lauren wanted to hear and would go a little way to setting Lauren's mind to rest, but no. She'd had the complete opposite reaction. And now she was in the bedroom whilst he was sitting forlornly on the sofa, all he was trying to do was the right thing. What he thought Lauren had wanted him to do but now she in floods of tears in the bedroom. Joey really didn't understand women, he probably never would. He didn't know what to do to make things better, to stop Lauren crying, when he told her he wouldn't go and see Sarah she just cried harder. He couldn't win.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The next morning Joey was the first one up, he showered and dressed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast in bed for Lauren. He carried the tray through to the bedroom setting it on the floor while he sat down on the bed and woke Lauren up. She blinked at him and sat up in bed 'what is it? What's wrong?' she asked him. Joey shook his head with a small smile.

'Nothing's wrong' he told her bending to pick up the tray 'I just thought I'd make you breakfast in bed is all' he told her, placing the tray on her lap. Lauren looked down at the tray, he'd made her scrambled eggs and toast, a little fruit salad and she also had orange juice and coffee.

'What's all this in aid of?' she asked him.

'I just wanted to make my girlfriend breakfast in bed, I wasn't aware that was such a crime' he said to her 'if you don't want it…' he reached out to take the tray away from her but she grabbed it.

'No, I do want it. Thank you' she said softly.

'I didn't mean to upset you last night' Joey said as she reached for the fork 'I thought you wanted me to find out what Sarah wanted' he said to her. 'I thought you would be pleased…' he trailed off.

'I do want to know what Sarah wants but I don't want you to go and see her' she said to him with small frown 'you told her you weren't interested in what she had to say, what's she going to think if you go over there and ask her what she wants?' Lauren asked him. 'She's going to think that you're interested in her'

'Do you think so?' Joey asked her surprised.

'Of course…what else is she going to think?' Lauren asked him. Joey thought for a few moments and he sighed.

'I guess I didn't really think about that…I just thought I was doing what you wanted me to do' Joey said 'I thought it would make you feel better'

'Well it didn't' Lauren told him, she chewed her mouthful of food and she sighed. 'I know I overreacted last night and I'm sorry' she told him 'it's just…you have a past with her and…'

'That's all it is, babe, the past. Everyone has a past. The important thing is that my future lies with you' he told her softly. 'I love _you_. I want to marry _you_ not Sarah' Joey shook his head 'I promise you, you have nothing to worry about' he told her, cupping her cheek in his hand. 'I'm yours forever' Lauren nodded her head, a small smile on her face. 'Now finish your breakfast before it gets cold' he told her and he reached forward and kissed her forehead. Lauren watched him as he left the room and turned her attention back to her breakfast.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was on the phone when Lauren came into the room, he noticed she'd showered and got dressed. She took the tray into the kitchen and started to clean up. She heard Joey finish up on the phone and she turned to look at him as he came into the kitchen. 'That was Brett, he said everything is running smoothly at the bar, in fact they're ahead of schedule for a couple of days. They're re-laying the floor today so it's going to be a no go area while they wait for the concrete to set' he told her 'so that means you and I have a free day' he told her. 'And we can do whatever you want to' he said 'so what do you fancy doing?' he asked her.

Lauren wiped her hands on the towel and turned to look at him 'I don't mind' she said shrugging her shoulders. 'Whatever you want to do' she replied.

Joey smiled, licking his lips 'today is about you, babe' he told her 'Do you want to go to a spa? Have a pampering session?' he asked her.

Lauren thought about it for a few moments and then shook her head 'no, not really' she said 'I'm not in the mood' she told him 'if we're not going into the bar then I can catch up on the housework' she told him as someone knocked on the door.

'Absolutely no housework!' Joey told her as he walked to the door, he was surprised to see his dad there when he opened the door. 'Dad, hey' he said with a frown as he let him in.

'I'm sorry to just drop by like this' he said to Joey 'but I think there's something you need to hear' he told him 'you too, Lauren' he said as he saw her in the kitchen. Lauren and Joey exchanged glances and followed him through to the lounge.

'What's going on, dad?' Joey asked him.

'I wasn't entirely honest with you when you called me yesterday' Derek said softly 'I'd already spoken to Lauren about Sarah and she shared her concerns with me, the same concerns that I had myself…'

'You talked to dad?' Joey looked at Lauren accusingly, Lauren nodded her head.

'I had to talk to someone, you were being all blasé about the whole thing' she said to him.

'I said I would go and see her' he frowned at her.

'Last night you said that' Lauren snapped at him 'and you know how I feel about that' she scowled angrily.

Derek cleared his throat and both of them turned to look at him 'Anyway…I had Sarah's address when you called me' he told Joey 'and I went to see her last night, we had a little chat and…well you can listen for yourself' he said and he pulled his phone out of his pocket and he pressed a few buttons before putting it down on the coffee table.

 **AN: Sorry for the de;ay on replying I needed to amend this chapter and I had writers block! Anyway I hope you enjoy it . Back soon. Don't forget to leave me a review.**


	123. Chapter 123

**Chapter One hundred and Twenty-Two**

Joey's mouth fell open as he heard the conversation between his father and his ex-fiancée. Lauren got up and walked to the window and looked out. She'd been right. Sarah wanted Joey back. She'd heard it with her own ears and so did Joey. They'd heard her tell Derek that in no uncertain terms she would do whatever it took to get Joey back and she didn't care who got hurt in the process. All she cared about was marrying Joey and living the life she should've been living now. Lauren thought Sarah sounded really smug about it all, as if she knew that Joey would obviously choose her over Lauren. When Lauren first met Derek she'd thought he was pretty scary and intimidating, in truth she was still a little wary of him, but Sarah's voice didn't even waver on the recording. Even when Derek was using his low menacing voice telling her to stay away from his son. It was clear that Sarah wasn't intimidated by him at all. Derek reached out and pressed a button, the recording ended swiftly, to Lauren's relief. He looked at Joey and he sighed. 'I'm sorry' he told him quietly. 'I thought talking to would help, but as you heard she has other ideas' he told his son.

Joey swallowed, nodding his head once 'thanks, dad' he said quietly. He licked his lips and turned to look at Lauren, she had her arms wrapped around herself and he could tell she was struggling with what she'd just heard. He got up and walked over to her. 'Hey' he said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders and squeezing them gently.

'I told you' she said quietly.

'Hey…you know how I feel about you' Joey told her softly 'you're the one wearing my engagement ring'

'For now' she looked down at her finger, twisting the ring around.

'No. Not for now. For good' he told her 'and soon you'll be wearing a wedding ring too' he said and he turned her around to face him 'hey, look at me' he asked her. Slowly she raised her head so she was looking at him and he could see the tears on her cheeks. 'Don't cry, babe' he whispered softly, he brushed her tears away with his thumbs, cupping her face in his hands. 'Please babe…' he shook his head feeling his own eyes stinging with tears. 'You have nothing to worry about. I promised you that earlier, that still hasn't changed now that we've heard what Sarah wants' he told her truthfully. 'Whatever she's got planned, it's not going to work. Whatever I felt for her is gone...has been gone for a long time. There's nothing left' he told her.

Lauren wanted to believe him but she couldn't and she shook her head 'She was your first love, Joey. You never forget your first love' she said sadly, moving away from him, heading towards the bedroom. Joey sighed and sat down on the sofa. Derek stood up from his seat on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

'Lauren, sweetheart' Derek said softly, catching her hand in his as she walked past him. 'Forewarned is forearmed' he said to her 'we wanted to know what Sarah was doing back here and now we do' he told her. Lauren looked at him and then at Joey, taking a seat next to him, with a sigh. 'I have some friends who can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't put her plan into action' he told them both. 'Besides, whatever she tries to do isn't going to work because Joey's in love with you' he told her with a smile 'so like Joey said you don't have anything to worry about'

Lauren sighed and nodded 'I guess' she said quietly.

'Well, I'd better go. I'm sorry for being the bearer of bad news' he said to them both.

'Thanks dad' Joey said 'I'll see you out' he told him and he got up, following his father to the door and then outside.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Lauren doesn't seem to have taken that news too well' Derek said with a frown 'I want you to know it wasn't my intention to upset her'

'You didn't' Joey shook his head 'that's all down to me' he said with a sigh 'I told her last night that I'd called you and asked you to find out where Sarah lived so I could go and see what she wanted…Lauren burst into tears and we had a row' he explained 'although at the time I wasn't actually sure what the row was about' he added with a frown. 'I thought I was doing what Lauren wanted me to do, but apparently not'

'Just keep on doing what you're doing, reassuring Lauren that you love her and you want to marry her and I'm sure everything will be fine' Derek told him 'In the meantime I'll let you know what Sarah is up to' he told his son. 'Now go on back inside. Your fiancée needs you' Derek said 'we'll talk soon' he said. Joey watched Derek get into the car and drive away before he turned and went back into the house. Lauren wasn't on the sofa where he'd left her, he walked through to the bedroom and found her packing a bag.

'What are you doing?' he asked her as his heart started to pound in his chest.

'I'm sorting out some old clothes to take to the charity shop' she told him as she held out a dress and then proceeded to fold it and place it in the bag, relief flooded through him.

'Do you want to talk about what we just heard?'

'What's to talk about? Your dad sounds as though he has it all under control' she replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. 'I'm going to take this bag to mum and then maybe spend the day on the square' she told him.

'I thought we were going to spend the day together?' he said softly.

'I just want to be by myself for a while' she told him 'I'll be back later' she said as she pushed a blue sweater into the bag. 'Can I take the car?' she asked him.

'Of course' Joey nodded his head 'do you need anything else to take to the charity shop. I probably have a lot of stuff that I don't wear anymore'

'Maybe next time' Lauren replied as she picked up the bag. Joey stepped aside as she walked to the door. He heard her grab the keys and the front door open and close as she left. He sighed, now he was at a loose end. He didn't want to sit at the flat by himself, he went into the bedroom and got changed into some old clothes, grabbing his wallet and keys and left.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Popoki ran into the room with the sock she had "killed" in the bathroom she wanted to give it to Lauren and Joey. She dropped it on the floor and mewed expectantly, waiting for her owners to appear. After a few minutes she went looking for them, discovering each room was empty. She trotted forlornly back to the lounge and picked up the sock, taking it into the bedroom, she jumped up onto the bed and placed the sock on Lauren's pillow and then curled up beside it, closing her eyes.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews, don't forget to leave me one for this cchapter. Back soon. x**


	124. Chapter 124

**Chapter One hundred and Twenty-three**

Brett was surprised to see Joey walk into the bar and over to the plans, looking down at them. 'Everything okay mate?' he asked him as he walked over to him.

'Yeah, so what needs to be done?' he asked him.

'I thought you and Lauren were going to spend the day together?' Brett raised his eyebrows at him.

'Lauren's gone to the square' Joey said 'and I'm at a loose end so if there's something that needs to be done I'll do it. Put me to work' he told him firmly. Brett nodded his head.

'Follow me' he told him and led him through to the bathrooms.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Max was surprised to find Lauren asleep on the sofa when he went home for lunch. Looking at her face it looked as though she'd been crying. He wondered what had brought her back here and he crouched down beside her, shaking her gently. 'Sweetheart?' he whispered. She moaned softly and opened her eyes 'what are you doing here?' he asked her softly.

'I just needed some space to think' she said sitting up and rubbing her face with her hands.

'Space to think about what?' Max frowned 'Is everything okay with you and Joey?

'Yes, no. I don't know, maybe' she sighed.

'Does Joey know you're here?'

'Yes I told him I was coming' she nodded her head.

'And where's Joey?' Max said standing up.

'At home I guess, I don't know that either' she replied shrugging her shoulders.

'I'm going to make some lunch, do you want to join me?' he asked her and she nodded her head. 'Good, and then you can tell me what's happened' he told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett was watching Joey working, he was right in thinking that his friend had something he needed to work off, he was making short work of the wall that needed to come down. He'd only been working on the wall for the last 45 minutes and he'd already knocked two thirds down, each swing of the mallet hitting the wall with some force. At this rate Joey was going to put them even more ahead of schedule. He wondered what it was that was bothering Joey but knew better than to ask, Joey would talk about it when he was ready. In the mean-time the wall was bearing the brunt of Joey's frustrations.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Here, drink this' Max said, plonking a mug of steaming coffee down in front of Lauren 'I'll make a sandwich and you can tell me why you're here' he said to her as he turned to the fridge and started pulling out in the ingredients he would need.

'I already told you' she said 'I needed some space and some time to think' she replied,

'Mmhmm, then what's that bag full of clothes doing by the side of the sofa?' he glanced at her as he walked to the table and sat down.

'Like I told Joey I'm taking them to the charity shop' she said taking a mouthful of coffee.

'So you and Joey are talking then?' Max said as he started to butter some bread.

'Of course we are' Lauren frowned at him.

'Good, that's good' he nodded his head. 'So you've talked to Joey about whatever it is that's bothering you?' he asked her. Lauren blinked and looked down 'I'll take that as a no' Max said 'do you want lettuce and tomato?' he looked up at her expectantly.

'No thanks' Lauren shook her head 'actually I'm not all that hungry' she told him.

'I'm making you a sandwich' Max told her firmly 'so we can play twenty questions if you like or you can just tell me what the problem is' he suggested 'save us both a lot of time and I have to be back at the car lot in an hour'

'There's no problem' Lauren said shaking her head.

'So the reason you were asleep on my sofa was…?' Max put down the knife he was holding and looked up at her.

'I was tired'

'You have a bed and a sofa at home right?' Max asked her.

'Well yes but…'

'And you know you don't live here anymore too right?' he asked her. Lauren blinked at him and she nodded her head, the chair scraped across the floor as she got to her feet. She pulled the keys out of her jacket and dropped them on the table, turning and walking back into the lounge, picking up her bag and walking out of the house. Max frowned 'okay that went well' he sighed to himself. He looked at the sandwich he was making and his stomach growled. He was starving, but he knew he needed to go after his daughter. He picked up the ham he was about to put in the sandwich and folded it until he could put it into his mouth. That would have to do.. As he chewed he picked up Lauren's keys and went after her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Joey, it's lunch time' Brett called from the doorway of the bathroom.

'I'm not hungry' Joey replied as he picked up a handful of rubble and dropped it into the wheelbarrow.

'You've been working solidly for four hours. Take a break' Brett reasoned.

'I'm good. I don't need a break' Joey returned for another pile of rubble.

'Yeah, well I'm not asking I'm telling' Brett said firmly 'Lunch now!'

Joey looked up at him and dropped the rubble into the wheelbarrow with a sigh. 'Fine' he frowned. He took off the gloves he was wearing and dropped them onto the floor, following Brett out of the bar.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett placed a pint of beer in front of Joey 'I've ordered a couple of toasted sandwiches' he told him 'so whilst we wait for them you can tell me what's wrong' he said.

'Nothing's wrong' Joey said 'I just found myself at a loose end today and I thought I'd come help out, that's all'

'Bullshit!' Brett frowned at him 'Is it Lauren? Have you two had a fight or something?' he asked him.

'No…not exactly' Joey said shaking his head.

'So everything between the two of you is okay?' Brett looked at his friend. Joey sighed and closed his eyes.

'I wouldn't say that' Joey replied. He picked up his beer and drank half of it down in one before putting the glass back on the table.

'So what's happened? You having second thoughts about marrying her?' Brett looked at him.

'No, of course not' Joey frowned at him 'it's nothing like that. Lauren's the one that I want to be with'

'Has she had second thoughts?' Brett asked 'come on Joey, you know you can talk to me, I'm your best mate, aren't I?' he asked him 'you can trust me'

Joey sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before looking back at his friend. 'It's Sarah' he told him.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews I look forward to reading them for this chapter! Back soon**


	125. Chapter 125

**One Hundred and Twenty- Four**

'Sarah?' Max repeated 'who the Hell is Sarah?' he looked at Lauren.

'Joey's ex' Lauren replied. 'The one he jilted at the altar because he caught her screwing his best man the night before the wedding, I've told you about this'

'Sarah? Was that the woman who turned up at the Vic the other night?'

'Yep' Lauren nodded her head.

'He invited her to his engagement party? Your engagement party?' Max frowned, feeling himself getting angry.

Lauren looked up at him in surprise 'What? No! Of course not, dad. What kind of guy do you think he is? Joey was just as surprised to see her there as I was' Lauren told him. 'We all were'

'If he didn't invite her then why did she just show up?' Max asked his daughter.

'She said something about talking to Alice…Joey's sister…and she thought she'd come and see Joey'

'At your engagement party?'

Lauren sighed 'no one knew about that' she reminded him. She pushed her salad around her plate with a sigh.

'So what does this Sarah want?' Max asked Lauren.

'In a nutshell?' she looked up at him and Max nodded. 'Joey. She wants Joey' she replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett spat his beer across the table, soaking Joey in the process. 'Oh God, I'm sorry' Brett handed him a serviette. 'I thought you just Sarah' he said to him.

'Thanks for that' Joey started to wipe his face with the serviette, 'and I did say Sarah'

'What the Hell does she want?' Brett asked him in confusion.

'Me…apparently' Joey replied 'she told my dad that she was going to do anything she could to get me back'

Brett raised his eyebrows 'Do you want her back?'

'No? Are you crazy? Why the fuck would I want her back? I'm with Lauren now…and she's a billion time better than Sarah ever was. I love Lauren and I want to marry her' Joey frowned at him 'why would you even ask me that?'

'Oh come on, you know I had to ask' Brett said taking another drink of beer. 'So, I take it Lauren knows?'

'Yeah she does' Joey nodded his head.

'And I'm taking it she's not too pleased with the competition?'

'Competition? What competition? I have no interest in getting back with Sarah, did you miss the part where I just told you that I was in love with Lauren?' he asked his friend incredulously 'you know I was working off my frustration with the wall and you…all you're doing is making it worse again' Joey snapped at him.

'I'm sorry' Brett said apologetically as their food arrived. 'So what are you going to do?' he asked, once they were alone again.

'About Sarah? Nothing, there's nothing to do about Sarah, I'm not going to see her, I'm not going to talk to her or have anything to do with her'

'Good, well that's good. She should get the message straightaway that you're not interested in rekindling anything with her' Brett said 'problem solved'

'You don't know Sarah' Joey sighed.

'So you and Lauren are fighting about this?' he asked him.

'Not fighting. She's just a little bit upset about it, that's all' Joey shrugged.

'That's all?' Brett said after a few minutes silence 'So you're here, hitting the crap out of walls and Lauren is over the other side of London because she's just a little bit upset about it?' Brett asked him 'I think we both know she's more than a little bit upset about it, don't we?'

Joey sighed 'She packed a bag this morning, took the car and went to Walford' Joey told him

'Wait, she packed a bag?' Brett asked in surprise.

'She said she was taking it to a charity shop'

'Oh and they only have those in the place she used to live?' Brett asked him 'Joey, you've got to go after her, you've got to talk to her'

'You don't think I've tried talking to her, telling her that Sarah means nothing to me? You think I haven't told her that I love her? It doesn't matter what I say she just doesn't believe me.' Joey said and he licked his lips and looked down at his plate of food before pushing it away. 'It's pretty clear that she doesn't trust me, I mean she's pretty much already accused me of wanting to get back with Sarah, which I don't'

'It sounds to me as though Lauren is insecure' Brett said 'you have to admit you and Sarah have a history, she was the first girl you fell in love with, the girl you were going to marry'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'What do you mean she wants Joey? Joey's your fiancé not hers. He's not hers to have, he's yours' Max frowned.

'I know that, you know that, Joey knows that, but Sarah apparently has other ideas' Lauren said with a small smile.

'Well, what does Joey say about it?' Max asked her.

'He says he loves me and wants to marry me and he's not interested in Sarah in any way shape or form' Lauren told him.

'Okay…then what's the problem?' Max asked her carefully, not wanting her to throw another strop and walk off again. 'You love Joey don't you?'

'Of course I do, dad, you know I do' she rolled her eyes at him 'and yes I want to marry him, more than anything in the whole world' she told him. 'But…'

'But what?' Max asked her. 'If he's made it clear he wants you I don't see what the problem is' Max told her softly 'you're getting yourself worked up over nothing'

'Nothing?' Lauren frowned at him, surprised he couldn't see what a big deal this was. 'His ex wants him back and you say it's nothing?' her voice went up an octave and Max cringed, knowing he'd said the wrong thing.

'When I said it was nothing, I didn't mean it was nothing. I mean of course it's a thing. But the way I'm thinking about it is that it takes two to tango, if you know what I mean. All this Sarah girl has done at the moment is say that she wants Joey back and what have you done? You've come home with your tail between your legs, leaving her clear to make a play for Joey' Max told her. Lauren's eyes widened as she thought about that. 'And god knows what Joey thinks about this. You clearly haven't talked to him about it, not properly knowing you' he gave her a look and she narrowed her eyes at him. 'He's a good guy, Lauren. Anyone can see how much he loves you, the boy practically worships the ground you walk on. God knows what he's thinking now. You need to go and find him and talk to him' he told her 'go on, give him a call'

Lauren pulled her phone out of her bag and she looked at it before dialling Joey's number.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews. I hope you like this chapter. Leave me a review! Back soon**


	126. Chapter 126

**One Hundred and Twenty-five**

'Don't just stare at it, answer it' Brett said to Joey as he stared at his ringing phone on the table 'unless it's Sarah, then don't answer it, reject the call'

'It's Lauren' Joey said, making no move to pick the phone up.

'Answer it then, you moron!' Brett said.

Joey glanced up at him and then snatched the phone off the table and swiped his finger across the phone to connect the call 'hey, babe' he said softly.

'Hey' Lauren said softly 'where are you?'

'At the Golden Lamb, having lunch with Brett' he replied.

'Oh…' she trailed off 'I could come and get you?' she asked him.

'I'm doing some demolition work at the bar, I don't want to leave it half done' he told her a little petulantly.

'Joey, it's fine. Go' Lauren heard Brett say. Joey covered the mouthpiece and he glared at Brett and mouthed shut up to him. Brett rolled his eyes but kept quiet, taking a bite of his toasted sandwich.

'Sorry about that' Joey said to her 'I can't just leave halfway through a job, I want to finish it. I'll see you at home later, assuming you're going to come home? Only you packed your favourite sweater to take to the charity shop'

Lauren felt tears prick the back of her eyes 'of course I'm coming home' she told him, her voice trembled slightly as she tried not to cry 'what time will you be home? I can cook dinner?'

'I'm probably going to go for a drink with Brett and the boys after we finish at the bar' he told her 'get a bite to eat'

'O…okay' Lauren said, Max reached out, taking her hand in his and squeezing it softly. 'Is there anything I can do at the bar?'

'Not really no, you'll just get in the way' he said. Joey jumped and cursed as Brett's steel toe capped boots kicked him on the shin.

'Oh. Well, I don't want to get in the way…' her voice broke at the end and Joey knew she was crying and trying hard not to show it.

'I mean we're just knocking down walls and laying cement, its dirty work, hard labour' he told her.

'I understand' Lauren said, she took a deep breath, letting out slowly 'then I guess I'll see you at home' she said to him. 'Will you be late? Shall I wait up for you?' she asked him.

'I'm not sure what time I'll be back' Joey told her.

'Okay' she said softly. 'I'm sorry…I love you' she whispered, brushing away a tear that had escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheek. 'I'd better let you go so you get back to work' she told him softly 'bye' she whispered, hanging up quickly before she broke down completely. Max watched as she put her phone on the table, covered her face with her hands and wept. His heart broke for her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey put the phone down on the table and closed his eyes 'I am such a dick' he muttered as he ran his hands through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

'I'd agree with that' Brett nodded his head. 'Why did you tell her that you were going to be home late?'

'I don't know. It just came out' Joey told him 'like I said, I'm dick okay?'

'Look, why don't you take off now. Go home, meet Lauren?' he asked him 'I can finish up at the bar…seriously, Joey.'

'I'm pretty sure she's not going to be heading back there now, not after that' Joey told him.

'You don't know that. Go home, get some flowers on the way home or something' Brett suggested. 'Fighting about Sarah is stupid. She's not even tried anything yet and she's already coming between you' he told him 'Call Lauren back and tell her you're on your way home now, then you two can talk and kiss and make up'

'Can I at least finish my lunch?' Joey frowned at him.

'Be my guest, but you know they'll put it in a "to-go" bag right?' Brett smirked at him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren let herself back into the flat 3:00pm. She carried her bag through to the bedroom and found Popoki curled up on her pillow, a sock beside her. 'Hey cutie' Lauren cooed softly as she tickled the kitten's head. Popoki mewed and opened her eyes, mewing again when she saw who it was. 'I'm sorry we abandoned you again' Lauren said, dropping her bag onto the floor. She climbed onto the bed and Popoki watched her and then lay her head back down again and closing her eyes, Lauren could hear her purring as she slept.

Lauren watched Popoki as she slept, every so often her little paws would twitch as though she was running, and her mouth and whiskers would twitch. Lauren smiled and giggled quietly. 'What's funny?' Joey asked from the doorway. Lauren jumped, not having heard Joey come in. Popoki stirred and yawned and got up, circling on the pillow before laying down again.

'She was dreaming, twitching and making little sounds' Lauren explained 'it was cute' she sat upright on the bed. 'I thought you were going to be late'

'Change of plans' Joey said to her softly. 'Are you hungry?' he asked her.

'No, I ate with dad' she replied.

'Well I'm filthy so I should probably take a shower, get cleaned up'

'Okay' Lauren nodded her head. Joey stared at her for a few seconds before nodding his head once and then disappearing into the bathroom. Lauren stroked Popoki and then kissed her little head before climbing off the bed and going through into the kitchen. She found a bottle of red wine and after a few minutes search found the corkscrew. She opened the bottle and poured herself a generous glassful and carried it into the lounge. She sat on the window ledge whilst she waited for Joey to finish in the shower. She was worried about what he would say to her. She'd apologised and told him she loved him and he didn't say it back. She didn't want to fight with him, she didn't like fighting him with him, she hated feeling like this. Joey was the man she loved, the man she wanted to marry, have children with and her unfounded jealousy and insecurities had jeopardised everything. She was really dreading the conversation with Joey.

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews for TNT! Enjoy the next chapter, dont forget to leave me a review. xx**


	127. Chapter 127

**One Hundred and Twenty Six**

Joey took his time in the shower, partly because he was putting off talking to Lauren and partly because he was so dirty. As the hot water ran over his body he could feel the muscles in his arms, back, legs and chests aching due to the punishment they'd received today. He knew he was going to be more than a little sore in the morning. He really needed to make time to keep up his training at the gym. He knew Lauren had apologised to him and he also knew that he should be a man and accept her apology, then the two off them could kiss and make up and everything would be okay between them again. But he was feeling hurt and more than a little pissed off, it felt as though she didn't trust him and he didn't understand why. He sighed, a few more minutes under the steaming hot water would give him more time to think about what he was going to say to Lauren, the last thing he wanted to do was have another row with her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was on her second generous glass of wine when she heard the bathroom door open and close and Joey walk into the bedroom, any minute now he would be in the lounge and they would be face to face and she had no idea what he was going to say to her. She gulped down a large mouthful of wine and resumed staring out of the window. Lauren tensed up as soon as she heard Joey come into the room, he spotted her glass and licked his lips. 'A glass of wine sounds like a good idea' he said. He walked into the kitchen, getting himself a glass and picking up the wine bottle. He saw it was half empty and he glanced at Lauren. He poured himself half a glass and then carried the bottle through to the lounge. 'Refill?' he asked her 'or if you like I can just put a straw in the bottle, save on washing up?' he saw the look of surprise in her eyes as she looked up at him in surprise at his comment. She looked at the glass of wine in her hands and with her eyes holding his she drank the contents of the glass as though it was water, and then held the glass out to him. He filled it up for her again. He didn't know why he'd made that comment, she didn't drink a lot; in fact she rarely drank. He sighed and put the bottle down on the window sill by her feet. 'Sorry' he said softly.

'Did you get a lot done at the bar?' she asked him.

'I knocked the walls down in both bathrooms' he said to her 'once the floor in the main bar is dried we can start revamping the bathrooms. We're a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Everyone's been working hard on the place'

'That's good' she said nodding her head.

'Yeah, Brett's pretty pleased with himself and the boys. He's still raving about your designs' he said. Lauren took a mouthful of wine and swallowed. 'I hate this' Joey said to her. 'The way things are between us right now' he told her softly. 'I understand why you went to talk to my dad, and I get why he went behind my back to see Sarah' he said with a sigh 'but what I don't get is why you don't trust me'

'I do trust you' Lauren's worried eyes shot up to meet his.

'Really, because it doesn't feel like it' he told her 'I haven't even done anything and you've already written us off'

'I haven't' she shook her head and licked her lips, she put the glass down and slid off the window ledge.

'No?' Joey raised his eyebrows questioningly 'You packed a bag this morning and you lied to me, telling me you were going to take it to a charity shop. If that's not writing us off I don't know what is. After everything we've been through to be together I would've thought we would mean more to you than that…I would mean more to you'

'You do, Joey. You know you do. I love you' she said to him, her face paling as she listened to him. 'I want to marry you and have children with you'

Joey nodded his head, taking a mouthful of wine. 'Yeah, I'm really feeling the love, babe. In your mind you've already got me cheating on you with Sarah and choosing her over you'

Lauren swallowed 'she is beautiful' she told him and looked down. Joey looked at her, he could see all her insecurities on her face, in her posture, hear them in her voice. He put the glass down next to hers and he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him.

'No, she isn't' he told her, with a shake of his head 'you…you are beautiful' he told her, his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that took her breath away. His thumb brushed across her bottom lip gently and then his lips were on hers, the briefest of touches. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel his breath on her lips. 'I want you' he whispered softly 'Not Sarah, not any other girl. You' he told her 'you've gotta trust me babe, or we're not going to work' he murmured against her lips.

'I do trust you, Joey, I swear I do' she replied, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears 'I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have left like that this morning, I just needed to think…'

'What's to think about?' he asked her frowning and moving away from her. 'Are you having second thoughts about me, about us?'

'No, of course not' she shook her head 'I swear I'm not…'

'Then what is it?' he asked her.

Lauren closed her eyes and took a deep breath 'It's not you, it's me' she told him.

Joey stared at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads. 'It's not you, it's me?' he scoffed and walked round her, grabbing his wine glass and the bottle of wine and filling his glass up to the top. 'That's the oldest line in the book, you know that, right?' he asked her before he drank a fair amount of the wine. 'You tell me that you want to be with me and then break up with me'

'I'm not breaking up with you' Lauren shook her head, unable to keep her tears from falling, she dashed them away with the back of her hands and sniffed. 'I'm trying to explain…'

'So far, it's not going well' Joey snapped at her before finishing his glass, he tipped the bottle again but it was empty. He cursed under his breath and walked through to the kitchen, opening cupboard doors as he looked for more wine. 'Perfect, we're out of wine' he frowned, slamming the bottle onto the side. Lauren walked into the kitchen.

'Joey, please, will you listen to me?' she asked him, grabbing both his hands in hers. He clenched his hands into fists. 'I'm not breaking up with you, and I do trust you' she looked into his eyes 'It's me I don't trust' she added softly.

'You?' he frowned, clearly confused. 'That doesn't make any sense'

'I'm trying to explain' she exclaimed, clearly getting exasperated with Joey. 'But if you're not even going to listen to me and get all defensive then there's no point in me even trying' she told him and she turned away from him, covering her face with her hands and burst into tears, her emotions from the whole day finally overwhelming her. Joey blinked at her, immediately abandoning his search for wine and focusing on his broken girlfriend. He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around, pulling her into his arms. She sobbed against his chest and he rocked them gently.

'I'm sorry, Lauren' he pressed his lips to the top of her head, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. 'I'm sorry' he repeated in a whisper. 'I'm stubborn and I have a big mouth, I know' he told her 'I'm listening now babe. You can tell me now' he said. After a few minutes, Lauren pulled back a little bit so she could look up at Joey. He reached out and tenderly wiped her tears away with his thumbs. 'Talk to me' he whispered. 'I'm listening' he repeated, wanting to make sure she believed him

'I don't trust me…that I'm enough to keep you…she's beautiful and successful and I'm not…she has money and I don't…how am I supposed to compete with that?' she asked him seriously. Joey blinked at her, those were the last words he'd expected to hear come out of her mouth.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to leave me a review. xx**


	128. Chapter 128

**One Hundred and Twenty-Seven**

Joey knew he had to be careful in his reply to her, for one thing he didn't want to set her off crying again, and he didn't want her to see how frustrated he was with her insecurities. They were both very emotional at the moment, after their stressful day and he was aware it wouldn't take much at this point to push their relationship too far…which was the last thing he wanted. He thought again about what she'd just told him…about how she couldn't compete with Sarah. He knew she was genuinely concerned about this, her imagination had clearly gone into overdrive. She licked her lips as she looked up at him worriedly. 'It's not a competition but if it was, you've already won it, babe... you'd win hands down every time' he shook his head gently 'At the end of the day all this comes down to are my feelings, to my choice. And it's you. It will always be you' he told her a slight frown on his face. 'You are beautiful and we will be successful with the bar and we'll be raking in the money once we open, babe, I know we will. We make a great team' he told her, he stroked her cheek and smiled at her. 'I don't want to fight about this, honey. Sarah means nothing to me, yeah once she used to, but not anymore, just like you and Stuart. We both have a past., babe. Ex-lovers, ex-partners' he told her and she nodded her head.

'I know' she replied softly.

'All that matters now is us, and the business we're setting up together, our future' he told her 'I'm one hundred and ninety percent in love with you, Lauren Branning. I have been since the first time I saw you' he told her 'I'm sorry I acted like a petulant child when you apologised to me earlier, I should've told you that I would meet you at home straightaway. I'm sorry I didn't…will you forgive me?' he asked her expectantly.

'If you forgive me for being an insecure idiot' she replied.

Joey moved forward and kissed her gently 'forgiven' he told her with a small smile.

'Thank you' she replied. Joey pouted and then touched his lips with his forefinger. Lauren giggled and moved forward and kissed him softly.

'Forgiven' she told him softly.

'Thank you' Joey grinned at her 'now, can I have a hug?' he asked her. Lauren moved into his arms and he held her tightly. 'You feel so good' he murmured softly 'you smell good too' he nuzzled her neck with his lips and she smiled.

'You smell better than you did when we came home'

'I had a lot of things to work off' he told her with a smile. 'I'm going to ache more than I do now in the morning, that's for sure' he admitted to her.

'We could go get some massages tomorrow?' Lauren suggested. 'There's a great place not from far here' she told him.

'Sounds like a plan' Joey kissed her neck again and then pulled away to look at her. 'I think we need to have some food, soak up some of that wine, hey?'

'I don't feel like cooking' Lauren admitted to him.

'Me either' Joey said 'takeaway?' he suggested. Lauren nodded her head. 'Chinese' they both said at the same time and then they laughed. 'Chinese it is' he told her. 'I'll order, you make the coffee' he said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later that night they were snuggled up together on the sofa, Lauren yawned for the 8th time in five minutes and Joey looked at the clock, it was barely 9:00pm. 'Come on you, I think it's time for bed' he told her.

'But it's still early' Lauren complained, her eyes darting over to the clock.

'Yeah I know but we're both tired' he told her with a smile 'there's no point staying up just for the sake of it, is there?' he asked her, she shook her head with a smile.

'I guess not' she replied 'I'm too tired to walk to the bedroom though' she told him.

'Are you?' he smiled knowingly. He pushed himself up off the sofa and stood up, feeling his body protest at the quick movement and he bent down to pick her up. Pain shot through his wrists, arms and shoulders and Joey groaned. 'I can't pick you up, babe, I'm in too much pain' he admitted, crouching down in front of her 'so you're going to have to settle for a piggyback' Lauren grinned and scrambled onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. 'Hold on tight' he said as he stood up. Lauren giggled as he carried her through to the bedroom, she kissed his neck softly as he turned and sat down on the bed so she could get down.

'Thank you' she said 'maybe you should take another hot shower before you come to bed, it might help your muscles a little bit' she suggested.

'I think I might' he nodded his head. He stood up, pulling his t-shirt over his head as he left the room. Lauren undressed and wrapped herself in her robe. Popoki was still sleeping on her pillow, so she scooped her up and carried her to the foot of the bed and put her in her cat basket, tickling the top of her head softly.

Lauren went into the bathroom, cleaned her teeth and washed her face before returning to the bedroom. She slid the robe off her shoulders and climbed into the bed, waiting for Joey. A few minutes later he came into the bedroom, towel drying his hair, a pale blue towel slung low on his waist. She smiled at him 'feel better?' she asked him.

'Actually I do, yeah' he smiled at her 'great suggestion, babe'

'I'm more than just a pretty face' she replied as Joey dropped his towel and climbed naked and still slightly damp into the bed.

'So much more' Joey murmured as Lauren moved into his arms.

'Mmm. You feel warm' Lauren yawned again 'so cuddly and cosy' she said snuggling up against him. 'I love you, Joey Matthews' she looked up at him.

'I love you too, Lauren Branning' he replied and he kissed her softly.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews, sorry for the delay in posting, having laptop issues. Hope you enjoy this chapter...don't forget to leave me a review.**


	129. Chapter 129

**One Hundred and Twenty-Eight**

When Lauren woke up the next morning she was still wrapped in Joey's arms. She'd rolled over onto other side during the night and he was now snuggled up behind her. She loved waking up like this, feeling safe and secure in his arms. She smiled and wriggled against him and she felt his arms tighten around her as his mouth nuzzled her neck. 'Morning beautiful' Joey murmured softly.

'Morning' Lauren replied with a smile, she turned her head slightly, Joey helped her roll over so she was facing him and he could move forward and kiss her softly, he felt his groin stirring and when the kiss ended he looked down at her, knowing she could also feel his hardening member against her thigh. He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

'Do you wanna?' he asked her softly and he bit on his bottom lip 'you know…' his hand slid down her back and cupped her bottom, pulling her closer to him. Lauren moved forward, kissing him softly, letting her tongue run over the seam of his lips. He opened his mouth to her and her tongue swept inside as she hooked one leg over his. His hand slid lower to delve between her legs and she mewled into his mouth, breaking the kiss to give a low satisfied moan. Joey trailed his kisses lower and then his mouth covered her nipple and he sucked hard, flicking it with his tongue. She arched her back as he thrust three fingers inside her and started to slide them in and out of her in a slow lazy rhythm. He heard her breathing change and knew she was already close to coming. He abandoned her breast and looked down at her face, admiring her beauty with eager eyes. Her own eyes were closed, her cheeks were rosy, her hair fanned over the pillow. He watched as he brought her to orgasm and then lowered his lips to her ear. 'You're so beautiful' he murmured in her ear. He withdrew his fingers and settled himself over her, thrusting into her in one swift movement 'so beautiful' he repeated as she opened her eyes to look into his. Lauren wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up to him. Joey groaned as he slid deeper into her warmth. He loved the woman beneath him with every fibre of his being, he couldn't wait to be married to her, to call her his wife. He groaned as he felt her tongue trace the shell of his ear and he thrust against her a little harder. Lauren's breathing became ragged again and he knew she was close to her second orgasm, he slipped one hand between their bodies and started to rub her clit in time with his thrusts, every so often pinching it between his fingers causing her to gasp in pleasure. Lauren cried out as her orgasm hit and it triggered Joey's sending him flying over the edge. He murmured her name over and over as he emptied inside her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey smiled down at his girlfriend, reaching out to brush her sweat dampened hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear.

'We haven't done that in a while' he said softly as he rolled onto his back, pulling free from her war body and gathering her close to his side.

'I guess we've been busy with the bar and all' Lauren replied. 'I've missed mornings like this. We used to do them all the time in Hawaii' she said with a sigh.

'Not just mornings, if I remember right...' he said softly 'Well, how about we have a day like we used to in Hawaii?' he asked her. 'We can shut ourselves away in the flat, turn off the phones, lock the doors and make love whenever we want to'

Lauren smiled up at him 'I think that sounds like a perfect idea' she replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

 **'** Are you sure you're okay with doing this?' Lauren asked Joey.

'Are you kidding?' he exclaimed as he walked back into the room 'I love this' he told her. 'Like I said before it reminds me of the days we spent alone together in the hut in Hawaii. I can't believe we've not thought about doing this before.'

'Really?' she asked him with a smile.

'Yes really' Joey said leaning across to steal a kiss. 'Okay, the landline phone is unplugged. Mobiles phones are off and hidden' he looked at Lauren knowingly. 'The front door is locked and all I need to do is put up a sign outside the door…' Lauren frowned.

'Why put a sign outside the door? If anyone comes we just don't answer it' she said confused.

'Yes, but the car is parked outside so people will know we're home' he told her 'A simple sign will let them know we don't want to be disturbed' he explained to her.

'A simple sign?' Lauren asked looking over his shoulder at the piece of paper he was currently writing on. 'Looks like you're writing War and Peace' she said 'JOEY! You cannot write that and stick it up outside the door!' she exclaimed with a giggle.

'What? Why not?' he asked her, turning to look at her.

'Because you can't' she said to him, she snatched the paper away from him and screwed it up and tossed it towards the bin, missing by a mile.

'HEY!' Joey exclaimed.

'We close the blinds, turn the lights off, and we pretend like we're not home' Lauren said to him. 'If we put sign on the door then people will know that we're at home and they'll be even more persistent. Besides you can't put a sign on the door that says "Fuck off, we're shagging, only knock on this door if there's an emergency" and then list things that are classed as an emergency' she scolded him.

'I thought it was a good idea' Joey pouted.

'I don't remember having to put signs up on the hut' Lauren said to him 'we spent many a day there without any interruptions'

'I miss Hawaii' Joey said with a sigh. 'I miss Hawaii with you there' he added. 'You made Hawaii a little bit sunnier'

Lauren smiled, giggling as she admitted 'You made my honeymoon the best a girl could ever have'

'Why thank you' Joey grinned at her. 'Okay so we have everything we need right? Food. Drink?'

'Yep it's all covered' Lauren nodded.

'Well, in that case… come here you' Joey said as he lunged for her. She squealed and giggled as her back hit the floor and Joey pulled her robe apart to expose her naked body beneath.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Here's the next chapter, I hop eyou like it! Don't forget to leave me a review.**

 **xx**


	130. Chapter 130

**One Hundred and Twenty- Nine**

Lauren and Joey held their breaths as they heard someone outside their front door. Lauren giggled and Joey clamped his hand over her mouth and looked down at her pleadingly. He was currently deeply embedded inside her core and her giggling was causing her inner walls to squeeze his cock hard, in a painful way. He closed his eyes and willed her to stop giggling. The knocking came again and Joey lowered his head to her shoulder and groaned a "go away" quietly. Lauren put her hand on his wrist and he looked down at her and narrowed his eyes at her as he took his hand away.

'Maybe we should answer the door' she whispered quietly.

'Well, we're kinda in the middle of something right now, aren't we?' he frowned at her as he rotated his hips, reminding her of what had been interrupted…not that she really needed a reminder. Lauren gasped loudly and clamped her own hand over her mouth, giving him an apologetic look. 'They'll go away eventually' he told her, she removed her hand pulled him down into a kiss. 'Oh God…' he groaned as he felt her clenching around him 'I really need to move, babe' he told her.

'You can't! Keep still' she hissed at him. The knocking came again and Joey bit his lip as he rotated his hips again 'STILL!' Lauren hissed loudly, giving his bum a resounding slap. Joey's eyes widened and he thrust against her instinctively. Lauren closed her eyes and bit down hard on her hand to stop herself from making any noise. Joey giggled and kissed her neck.

'You know that just turns me on more' he teased her, trailing his lips to hers, pulling her hand away letting his mouth close over hers, as he started to move again. Lauren groaned revelling in the sensations he was creating within in. Both of them froze again when they heard the metallic flap of the letterbox, breaking the kiss they turned their heads at the same time towards the front door. 'Should have taped the fucking letter box shut' Joey whispered.

'Can they see us?' Lauren whispered urgently.

'No I don't think so' Joey replied in a low voice 'bet that note is looking like a pretty good idea right about now too, huh?' he teased her.

'Okay, next time you can put the note on the door' Lauren nodded her head in agreement. They both heard the letterbox rattle again and a thin piece of paper was pushed through the door and they heard footsteps moving away from the flat.

'Thank fuck for that' Joey said and he looked down at Lauren and grinned 'hold on tight baby' he told her. Moments later she screamed his name, digging her nails into his buttocks as he pumped his hips against hers. Joey felt her walls tightening around him, squeezing him rhythmically as her orgasm ebbed through her, 'FUCK!' he cried out as he felt himself on the brink, her nails dug into his buttock once more, and he was spiralling over the edge, pulsing over and over inside her. His hot seed hitting her cervix, causing her to tremble and quiver beneath him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The two of them lay on the floor in the lounge, in a tangle of limbs in a post-coital bliss. Lauren's stomach rumbled and Joey smiled. 'I think someone needs some food' he said softly.

'I could eat' she nodded her head, blushing slightly.

Joey turned his head towards hers and kissed her softly 'Sandwich or nibbles?' he asked her.

'Nibbles please'

'Coming up' he stole another kiss, deepening it before ending it with a groan as he felt a certain part of his anatomy stirring. He pulled himself away from Lauren and she watched as he stood up and then walked naked into the kitchen. She grinned, he certainly was the perfect specimen of a man…and he was all hers. She rolled onto her side and glanced towards the door. She saw the piece of paper on the floor and got up, walking over to the door, she stooped down and picked it up. She saw it was a folded piece of paper with Joey's name scribbled on the front.

'Babe. This note is for you' she said walking into the kitchen as he closed the fridge door. He glanced over his shoulder to look at her.

'Who's it from?' he asked her.

'I don't know I didn't read it. It's addressed to you' she replied, waving the bit of paper at him.

'I have no secrets from you' Joey told her as he walked to the cupboard and grabbed a couple of plates. Lauren looked at him and then opened the note and her eyes scanned down to the name at the bottom of the page. 'Well who's it from?' Joey asked her when she didn't say anything.

'It's from Sarah' Lauren told him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey's eyes shot up to meet hers and he looked at the piece of paper in Lauren's hand. He put the plates and the arm full of food he was holding down onto the kitchen table. He took the note from Lauren's hand, for a moment she thought he was going to read it, part of her was intrigued to know what it said, but the other part was reeling about the fact she'd come to his flat…and what they'd been doing as she stood at their front door. She was kind of wishing they'd not kept quiet now but she knew that was being petty. Something far more serious occurred to her. Sarah knew were Joey lived. Where she lived. Maybe Sarah didn't know she and Joey were living together. She frowned, the sound of a match striking a match box brought her attention back to Joey, she watched in stunned silence as he set fire to the note, letting it drop into the sink and burn itself out. Joey watched it burn away and then ran the tap, letting the water carry the charred pieces down the drain. He turned back to Lauren and smiled at her. 'So…shall we have our naked picnic?' he asked her as he collected all the items he'd put on the table earlier.

'Yes please' Lauren giggled following Joey to the sofa.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Hope you enjoy. Dont forget to leave me a review. xx**


	131. Chapter 131

**One Hundred and Thirty**

Joey had joked that he needed a break from being her sex slave a little while later and they needed to be in a public area so Lauren wouldn't be tempted to molest him, as she had been doing all day. Lauren had giggled, but happily went along with him to the restaurant, where they were sitting, waiting for their appetisers to come. They'd taken a taxi and the two of them had sat close together in the back seat, where in between sharing kisses he'd teased her about being a sex fiend.

Lauren thought the restaurant looked expensive from the outside and her suspicions were confirmed when they went inside. 'Babe, this is too expensive' she admonished him gently.

'Nothing is too expensive for you' he told her with a small smile. 'Come on, I don't know about you but I seem to have worked up an appetite' he told her, tugging on her hand, leading her towards their table as they followed the Maitre d.

The restaurant was intimate but fancy. The restaurant was packed but the tables were still far enough apart to let the diners have their own little piece of privacy. Lauren smiled when Joey pulled her chair out for her before she sat down. He'd told her that she could order anything she wanted off the menu, there was no expense spared tonight.

The appetisers came and Lauren looked at Joey's, wishing she'd ordered the same as him now. She looked down at her own plate and frowned. 'You want mine, don't you?' Joey asked her. Lauren looked up at him, shaking her head.

'I only want half' she replied with a smile. Joey rolled his eyes and held out the first forkful to her. She ate it and smiled, licking her lips. 'Mmm, yummy'

'Glad you're enjoying it' Joey replied softly. Taking a mouthful of it himself.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was feeling a little bit tipsy by the time they left the restaurant, Joey's hand was gripping hers tightly as they walked out into the cool night air. 'Did you phone a taxi?' she asked him.

'Nope, not yet' Joey shook his head, 'I thought we could go for a walk alone the Thames' he said to her. 'Unless you're too cold?' he glanced at her.

'Wow, you're pulling out all the stops tonight, aren't you?' she asked him with a sly smile 'Romantic meal out, topping up my wineglass every time I took a mouthful. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to get me tipsy so you could have your wicked way with me' she teased him. Joey looked at her with a shocked expression on his face.

'And it all comes back down to sex' he said to her, feigning resentment at her remark but he was smirking as he spoke. He stopped walking and pulled her closer to him, sliding his arms around his waist, resting them on the curve of her bum. 'Sometimes I think that's all you want me for' he teased back.

Lauren raised her lips to his 'It is' she whispered 'amongst other things' she pressed her lips against his. He chuckled against her lips as she deepened the kiss.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

A taxi pulled up outside their flat a couple of hours later, Joey paid the driver as Lauren waited outside for him. He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her as the taxi driver pulled away. 'So, beautiful, have you had a good time?' he smiled at her.

She shrugged casually 'it's been okay' she replied nonchalantly.

'Only okay?' Joey raised his eyebrows questioningly 'I've made you breakfast in bed. I've spent the day catering to your every need in every sense of the word. I've made love to you, I've fucked you, I dressed up for you, I've stripped for you, I've taken you out for a really expensive meal in a very exclusive restaurant. I've taken you on a romantic walk along the river Thames, I've felt you up in the taxi on the way home…' Lauren giggled 'And you're saying it's just been okay?'

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head.

'Okay, then tell me what I can do to make it the best day you've ever had, whatever it is I'll do it' he told her seriously.

Lauren wriggled out of his grasp and walked to the front door as she pretended to think for a few minutes, Joey trailed behind her in amusement. She turned to face him, her back to the door. 'Well there is one thing you could do' she told him as she reached out and caught hold off the lapels of his jacket, she pulled him towards her as she moved backwards to lean against the door, one leg bent at the knee, resting her foot on the door

'Name it, I'll do it'

'You don't know what it is yet' Lauren teased him, her lips dangerously close to his.

'So tell me' he said softly, his eyes dropping to her lips, watching as her tongue swept across her lips, wetting them and then she worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

'Remember the first time I met your dad?' she asked him.

Joey was intrigued 'I do' he said with a nod of his head.

'Well, we didn't finish what we started…' she trailed off.

Joey grinned at her 'you want to have sex on the dining table…'

'Yes please' Lauren whispered as she drew him into a kiss.

'Where are the keys?' Joey asked her.

'I thought you picked them up' Lauren murmured kissing Joey's neck and throat. Her hands moved to his pockets, sliding inside and groping around for the keys,

'Nope, you did, you were the last one out' he said to her as her hand grazed over the front of his tented pants and he groaned. 'Babe….' he whined. 'Check your bag…please' he instructed her firmly. Lauren sighed and pulled away from him, unzipping her bag, she rummaged around for a while and then pulled something out of her bag…Joey's eyes widened as he saw her lacy pink thong dangling from her hand. 'You took your underwear off?' he asked her, his voice husky as his throat dried... Lauren looked up at him and nodded her head.

'Before we left the restaurant' she told him 'they're uncomfortable' she smiled at him, Joey grabbed her and kissed her hungrily, his tongue pushing between her lips to tangle with hers, his urgent need to get in the flat overridden by the passion for the girl in his arms. Lauren moaned, wrapping one arm around his neck as one of his hands slid up the front of her dress to delve between her legs. They both groaned loudly.

'You're so wet…' he murmured between kisses. 'For the love of God please find the keys or I'm going be screwing you right here' he told her, Lauren giggled, pushing him away again and her hands moved back into her bag, she felt some keys in the bottom and pulled them out.

'I have them' she exclaimed dangling them in front of his face. 'Oh' she sighed unhappily. 'They're mum and dad's keys, they're no good'

'You think?' Joey growled 'let me see that' he took the bag from her and started to rummage through it 'what the fuck have you got in here' he growled, growing more and more frustrated by the second. Lauren giggled and ran her hand over his erection again, not improving his frustration at all.

'Relax, Joey. If I picked them up they'll be in there somewhere' she told him.

'If you picked them up?' Joey's frantic gaze met hers 'you better have those fucking keys in here or you're going to be bent over the bonnet of the car and the neighbours are going to be able to see you being fucked' he threatened her.

Lauren giggled again 'promises, promises'

'Got them!' he exclaimed in victory as he pulled them out of the bag. He reached behind her and put the key in the lock, they heard the click as it opened and Joey moved forward and wrapped his hands around her waist, kissing her hungrily, she jumped up wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. Joey opened the door and carried her inside, kicking the door closed with his foot.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Sarah watched them from across the street. She'd found Joey's address by following him home when he left the bar he was working at yesterday. She thought he must've been home when she turned up at lunchtime but he didn't answer the door so she'd left him a note. The note told him she missed him and that she just wanted to talk. Maybe they could try being friends before they tried for anything more. She'd left her mobile number asking Joey to call her. She'd expected him to call her back at some point today and when he hadn't she went back to the flat and tried knocking again, but as earlier there was no answer. She realised now that he must've been out with his new girlfriend…and apparently he'd brought her home for the night. So she wouldn't be getting a phone call tonight, maybe tomorrow when she left. Yes, she thought to herself, that's when Joey will call her.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews for TNT. Here's another chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review. xx**


	132. Chapter 132

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One**

The next morning started off in the same way as the day before, Joey made love to Lauren gently and tenderly and a short time later they lay tangled in each other's embrace as they talked.

'You didn't really tell me how you met Sarah' Lauren said to him. 'Or how long you were together for. You only really told me about the night you left and a little bit about your relationship'

'We met at a party' Joey told her. 'I was 19, she was 18. We hit it off right away really, went on a few dates over a month and after that we were inseparable' he explained to her. 'At the time we had a lot in common…or at least I thought we did' he gave a hollow laugh. 'We had our fair share of fights. She liked to have things her own way all the time, she'd throw some pretty horrific tantrums if she didn't. I told you her parents were killed in a car crash when she was 12?' he asked her and Lauren nodded her head.

'You said her grandparents brought her up' Lauren replied

'Yeah, well they pretty much let her get her own way all the time, spoiled her rotten, anything for a quiet life, I guess' he sighed 'They didn't have a lot of money, but what they did have, they spent on her. She was pretty spoilt although I didn't really see a full blown tantrum until we'd been dating for about a year' he told her 'that was pretty scary. I have never ever seen a grown woman act like a 6-year-old child before…she is the definition of a drama queen. You're not a patch on her in that department' Lauren smiled. 'I worked in a nightclub behind the bar Monday to Friday, so Sarah and I didn't really see each other during the week, unless she came into the club which she rarely did. We'd see each other at the weekends. Go on dates to the movies, or out to dinner, out with friends' he said 'Getting married seemed like the next step to take' Joey told her 'I mean I thought she was the one…you know?' he looked down at her and Lauren nodded her head.

'I know only too well' she said thinking about Stuart. 'So you proposed to her?'

'Actually no…there wasn't a proposal as such…just a mutual agreement that we wanted to get married.'

'Did you live together?'

'No' Joey shook his head 'she wanted to wait until we were married before we lived together. You know the rest' he looked down at her.

'So I'm the first girl you've lived with? That you've proposed to?' she asked him a small smile on her face.

'Yes. You're the first and the last' he said moving forward to kiss her softly.

'Well that makes me feel better' she replied 'and the drama queen bit'

'Good, I'm glad you feel better' Joey said hugging her close to him. 'Our relationship is completely different to the relationship I had with Sarah' he told her 'at the time I thought it was the perfect relationship, I thought I'd met the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, clearly I was wrong. I was so blinded by how great I thought she was, how perfect our relationship was that I had no idea that she wasn't happy with our relationship or with me. The first clue should've been when she said she wanted to have a long engagement, when she refused to even talk about setting a date for the wedding.' Joey said with a sigh. 'I know when I first met you I told you that Sarah and I had a great sex life, but on reflection, after being with you, I know that wasn't the case. For one thing she was screwing my best friend behind my back, and secondly sex with her didn't make me feel a fraction of what I feel when I'm making love with you' Lauren smiled as she heard his words. She shifted on the bed so she was lying on her side. She leaned on her elbow, propping her head on her hand. She watched as Joey moved so he was mirroring her position. 'We never had a holiday together. She used to go away with her friends and I'd go away with the boys' he confided in her. 'I think if we'd lived together our relationship would've ended much earlier than it did, I think she would've ended it before me. She liked having her freedom, her privacy…now I know why' he said softly. 'I'm not really sure that I know what it was that I found so attractive about her' he admitted 'there must've been something….' He frowned, Lauren sensed that he was sifting through his memories to see if he could pinpoint what it was. After a few minutes he shook his head and he focussed back on Lauren. 'Is it bad that I can't remember?' he asked her.

Lauren shook her head 'No, I can't remember what it was about Stuart either, when I think about some of my other exes, I can't remember why I even dated them'

'You mean like Marcus?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled and nodded her head 'In a nutshell' she told him. 'I think it was mainly because I was lonely and missing you so much' she told him. Joey reached out and brushed her cheek lightly with his knuckles.

'I was missing you too' he told her 'but I had work and my friends to distract me...not to mention certain dreams.'

'Dreams?' she frowned at him 'what dreams?'

'Oh you know, R rated, surround sound…where you can literally feel every touch, every kiss…' he grinned at her.

Lauren blushed and nodded 'I do know the kind of dreams you're talking about, I had a few of those myself' she confessed. 'Dad told me once I was moaning and groaning in my sleep…I was mortified!'

Joey laughed 'did you tell him what you were dreaming about?' he asked her.

'Of course not' Lauren said with a giggle 'could you imagine the look on his face?' she asked him.

Joey shook his head 'you know him better than I do, babe' he smiled at her. 'Sarah and I never did this' he said to her with a sad smile.

'Lie in bed together?' Lauren frowned at him, momentarily confused.

'Laugh like this…be able to take the mickey out of each other' he said softly. 'I guess that's another thing I realised we didn't have in our relationship…we never had fun…not like you and I have...we have actual conversations…meaningful conversations…important conversations' he said.

Lauren looked at him 'you sound as though you're in love' she teased him.

'I might be' he nodded his head in agreement.

'She's a lucky girl' Lauren told him, closing the distance between them and kissing him softly.

'She really is' Joey nodded in agreement 'She's perfect' he told her 'and she's going to be the mother of my children'

'I can't wait' Lauren whispered.

 **AN: Thanks for all your review. I'm glad you are still enjoying TNT! Don't forget to leave me a review xx**

 **x**


	133. Chapter 133

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Two**

Sarah checked her watch, it was lunchtime. She was hoping she would have a lunch date in the shape of her ex-fiancé, but since he hadn't called her, she was dateless. She wasn't going to let that little problem stop her though. She had a plan now, she just had to put it in motion. She grabbed her bag and headed to the bathroom, set on her mission.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Sarah was smiling to herself as she walked into the little café a few houses from Joey's parents. She walked up to the counter and ordered herself a coffee and a crispy bacon and chicken sandwich. She paid and turned to leave when she spotted someone she recognised. She walked over to the table and plastered a smile on her face 'Cynthia?' she questioned. 'I thought it was you. I haven't seen you for years. You look so well' she smiled at her and she pulled out a chair and sat down.

'Sarah!' Cynthia looked up at her in surprise.

'I hope you don't mind me joining you? I had some business nearby and I thought I'd pop in, they serve the best sandwiches and when I saw you sitting here…it just reminded me of old times' she said with a smile. 'How have you been, how's the family?'

'Everyone is great' Cynthia replied, giving her a nervous smile.

'I saw Alice the other day' Sarah continued 'she's grown up so much, looks a lot like Derek now' she said.

Cynthia nodded her head as she took a mouthful of tea. 'Actually, Sarah, I was just leaving…' she told her as she gathered up her coat and handbag.

'You can spare another ten minutes, can't you?' Sarah said 'you were like the mother I never had' she told her, softly, wiping at her eyes, the waterworks working to her advantage. 'My grandparents were great, but they'd raised their children and they had rather old fashioned values. Nana still remembers you fondly…we were surprised you didn't come to the funeral…Papa passed away three months ago' Sarah said. Cynthia softened slightly as she saw the younger woman's eyes fill with tears.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know. Of course Derek and I would've liked to have been there to pay our respects' Cynthia told her, she sighed 'I suppose ten more minutes wouldn't hurt. But I'll need to make a phone call' she said 'would you mind getting me another cup of tea please?' she asked her.

'Of course' Sarah smiled nodding her head. She slid off the chair and walked towards the counter with a satisfied smile on her face.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey frowned as he hung up the phone 'what's wrong?' Lauren asked him as she grabbed the car keys.

'Mum just called. She's running late' Joey told her 'she said she's bumped into Sarah' he said. Lauren frowned.

'Really?' she asked him surprised.

'Yeah, she said she tried to get away but Sarah turned on the tears' Joey told her 'she didn't really say much but she's asked me to call her in 10 minutes so she can get away' he said.

'I guess that means I'm driving' Lauren smiled at him.

'I guess it does' he replied with a grin.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Cynthia looked at Sarah, wondering what it was the younger woman wanted, deciding she would cut the chase she asked a question. 'So, you showing up at my son's engagement party was a bit of a shock' she said taking a sip of tea and looking at Sarah over the rim of the cup. 'Make a habit of eavesdropping on people's private telephone conversations, do you?' she asked pointedly.

Sarah felt her face flame hot as she turned red. 'It was wrong of me I know. But when I heard Alice say you would be all together, I thought it would be nice to surprise you all…but it turned out the surprise was on me' she said to her 'I had no idea it was an engagement party, of course I wouldn't have come if I'd known that' Sarah told her shaking her head 'the last thing I wanted to do was to make a scene' she explained to the older woman. She felt embarrassed about being caught out. The fact that he'd gat-crashed an engagement party was news to her, unwelcome news.

'So what did you want?' Cynthia asked her, again getting straight to the point.

'What?' Sarah frowned at her.

'When you came to Joey's engagement party?' Sarah raised her eyebrows at her expectantly.

'I wanted to talk to Joey. Let him know that I forgive him for leaving the way he did' she said 'I thought we could try to be friends' Sarah said reaching across the table and taking some sugar, she ripped open the sachet, pulled the lid off her takeaway coffee and emptied the sugar inside, stirring it with a little plastic stick.

'And how is Rob?' Cynthia asked her. Sarah's eyes widened slightly. 'Joey told us everything'

'Joey told you about that…unfortunate incident'

'Yes, he did'

'Rob and I were a…mistake' Sarah said 'I made a mistake, one that cost me a lot. I realise that I've never apologised to Joey about that…and I thought it was about time I did' she told her. 'I know I hurt Joey, and I hurt you and Derek and I never really apologised to you about what happened either' she said to Cynthia. 'My actions hurt a lot of people that I love…but I hurt Joey the most'

'Did you?' Cynthia asked her surprised. 'I would've thought you hurt yourself the most' she said to her. 'You lost the best thing that ever happened to you just because you couldn't keep your knickers on' Sarah blinked, shocked at Cynthia's bluntness 'Joey's moved on with his life, he's engaged to a beautiful girl and they're happy. I suggest you take a leaf out of Joey's book and move on too. Now if you'll excuse me, like I said I have somewhere I need to be' she said and she slid out of her seat, standing up and walking past her. Sarah heard the café bell ding moments later and she knew Cynthia had left. She was taken aback, she knew Joey's relationship with his parents had been close, but apparently they'd got even closer since the time of her dating their son. She'd thought Joey's mother would be the easy route into re-establishing a relationship with Joey. Now she had to rethink things seeing as gaining contact through Joey's family was no longer an option. And now there was the added complication of a fiancée to deal with. Maybe she needed to focus on the new fiancée's friends and family. She sighed and got up, leaving her coffee and sandwich on the table, heading out of the café.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT. I hope you like this chapter. Don't forget to leave me a review. xxxx**


	134. Chapter 134

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three**

Lauren parked the car and grabbed her bag from the backseat and then walked round to Joey, he slipped his hand into hers and led her towards the large white building they'd parked outside. He smiled as he saw his mum waiting for them. 'Mum's here' he said softly.

'Do you think she'll be okay with this?' Lauren asked him 'I mean we're not going to be putting too much pressure on her, are we?' she asked him as they walked towards her.

'I've already sounded her out about it and she said she'd be pleased to help, and if things get too much for her she'll let us know' he reassured her 'besides, Lucy's going to help too right?' he asked Lauren.

'Yes she is but your mum is the one in charge, and Lucy needs to understand that, she can't go off and do something off her own back with Cynthia agreeing to it' Lauren said.

'Well, we'll talk with mum and then we'll tackle Lucy together' he told her with a smile. 'Hey mum' he said when they reached her and he hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.

'You two are late!' she teased them both.

'You can blame Lauren for that, she drives like a little old lady' he laughed.

'Hey!' Lauren slapped his arm as she moved forward to hug Cynthia. 'Your son is so mean' she told her.

'He gets that trait from his father…not me' Cynthia said with a smile. Joey laughed as he held the door open for them and they walked into the building. A few minutes later they were seated at a table and lunch was ordered.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'I'm really sorry Sarah came to you, mum' Joey told her after they'd eaten.

'It wasn't your fault' Cynthia told him 'God knows what's going on in her head right now' she said 'it's a bit odd that she's suddenly crawled out of the woodwork again though…why she's suddenly thinking you two will get back together'

'I haven't seen her since Hawaii' Joey told her 'the first time I saw her again was at the Vic, I haven't encouraged her in any way shape or form' he said firmly 'I made it quite clear in Hawaii that I didn't want to have anything to with her. I've been back in London for a year now, I've not seen her anywhere so I don't understand why she's suddenly back' he frowned, Lauren reached across the table and squeezed his hand softly, giving him a smile.

'We'll deal with whatever she throws at us, babe' Lauren told him. 'There's nothing she can do to break us up…' Joey looked at her and smiled at his fiancée. The time they'd spent together recently had wiped away Lauren's insecurities about them. She was amazing.

'I can't wait to marry you' he told her softly, leaning across the table and kissing her softly.

Cynthia smiled at the affection Joey showed to Lauren and visa-versa. His relationship with Lauren was completely different to the one he'd had with Sarah. And Lauren was a beautiful, smart girl and she made Joey happy, happier than she'd ever seen him. She also has a feeling that Lauren had played a huge part in getting Joey to repair his relationship with his father and for that she was truly grateful. The three of them looked up as Derek walked over to the table. Lauren watched the smile that lit up Cynthia's face as she saw her husband and she suddenly felt inexplicably weepy. She rolled her eyes at herself as Derek kissed his wife and took a seat next to Joey.

'Everything okay?' he asked him.

'Yep' Joey nodded his head. 'We've just asked mum to take over planning the wedding for us' Joey said. 'It was going to be too much us for us to do as well as trying to get the bar ready' he explained to him 'and Lauren's friend Lucy is going to help too but mum has veto rights on Lucy's ideas and she's going to have to rein her in sometimes too' he said with a smile.

'Your mum is the perfect person for the job, she loves organising and planning. You two are going to have the best wedding ever!' he grinned at them both. 'So how are things going with the bar?

'It's going well, we're ahead of schedule' Joey said 'the floor in the main bar has had concrete laid so we're just waiting a few days for it to dry out properly and then we can go back in and start getting the walls done and the bathrooms. Brett's doing a pretty good job making sure the boys do their parts too'

'That's good to hear' Derek smiled at them both 'and you're okay for money?' he asked him.

'Lauren's in charge of the accounts' Joey said glancing at her.

'Yeah, we're under budget so far' she said with a smile 'it helps that we don't have to pay Brett and the boys and that they just want to help us out. Plus they said they're earning money from their stripping gigs so and working at the bar is apparently cheaper than going to the gym so they're benefitting from working there too…'she shrugged.

'I knew you two would make a great team' Derek said 'Lauren has the brains and the beauty and Joey has the brawn' he grinned 'but if there's anything I can do, just let me know' Derek said.

'Actually, there is something…Sarah didn't pay any attention to whatever you said to her' Cynthia said. 'She "bumped" into me today at the café and she's put a note through their letterbox' she nodded her head towards Joey and Lauren.

'A note? What did it say?' he asked Joey.

'We didn't read it' Joey said 'we burnt it'

Derek nodded his head and glanced at Lauren, before turning to look at his wife, 'what did she say to you?' he asked his wife.

'She said she wanted to make amends with Joey, apologise for what she did, she said she realised she'd made a mistake. I told her the only mistake she made was not being able to keep her knickers on' Cynthia replied. Lauren looked shocked at Cynthia's bluntness. Joey burst out laughing, surprising Lauren.

'I wish you'd taken a picture of the look on her face when you said that' Joey told his mother.

'Marrying Sarah would've been a huge mistake' Cynthia told him 'A mistake you could've spent a long time paying for. She wasn't right for you. But Lauren…Lauren is perfect…she's the one, Joey'

Joey nodded his head and looked at Lauren 'I know' he replied softly. 'I know how lucky I am to have her' Lauren blushed and smiled at him.

'I feel the same' she grinned 'you are really lucky to have me' he grinned causing everyone to laugh.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews, sorry for the delay in posting... hope you wnjoy this chapter, don't forget to leave me a review, xxx**


	135. Chapter 135

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-four**

The next couple of days passed and Lauren dropped Joey off at the bar, she popped in to have a look around at the floor and she felt excitement building in her chest. Even just with the new concrete floor in place the bar was beginning to take shape, she could see how much work Joey and the boys had put into the place and she was overwhelmed by how badly they obviously wanted the bar to succeed.

'I feel bad for leaving you here and not helping' she said as Joey led her back to the car.

'I know you do, but to be honest there's not much for you to do. There's a lot of hard labour to be done in there still and I'm not even sure you'd be able to lift a lump hammer let alone swing it' he told her.

'Are you saying that I'm weak?' Lauren turned to look at him, Joey put his hands on her hips pushing her back against the car door.

'We all have weaknesses, babe. I can't do inventory or accounts. My idea of inventory was I ran out of gin I brought a new bottle. And my accounting was pretty much non-existent. That's my weakness, that's your strength. I have muscles I can swing a lump hammer, demolish a wall and that's my strength, you're just a puny female' he teased her with a grin.

'Hey!' she exclaimed but laughed with him.

'You'd better go or you're going to be late' he told her softly.

'I know, don't want your mum and Lucy to kill each other before they've even started' she said to him 'I love you, I'll be a couple of hours' she told him.

'Love you too' Joey replied, kissing her deeply before letting her go 'good luck'

'Thanks' she said, Joey opened the car door for her and she climbed inside and started the engine. He shut the door after stealing another kiss and she drove away.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Brett noticed the change in Joey from the last time he saw him 'so I'm guessing whatever was bothering you last time you were here has now been resolved?' he asked him as they walked through to the bathrooms.

'Yeah it has, well no not exactly' Joey said, Brett frowned.

'Okay, now I'm confused' he said to his friend.

'Lauren and I are okay…it's just…Sarah's appeared on the scene once again' Joey told him. 'It doesn't look as though she's giving up any time soon. She "bumped" into my mum this morning'

'What does she want now?' Brett folded his arms across his chest.

'To be friends apparently, to make amends for what she did with Rob.'

'She knows you're not interested though right? That you're off the market?'

'Mum was pretty clear on that' Joey nodded his head with a smile 'and even if I wasn't there's no way in Hell I would get back with her'

'What about if you were stuck on a Desert Island with her and really wanted sex?' Brett asked with a grin.

'Dude I'd cut my dick off or drown myself in the ocean' he replied seriously.

Brett grimaced as he thought about that and decided to change the subject. 'Okay then. So what has she done so far' he asked him.

'You mean other than cause a huge argument between me and Lauren? Let's see…She wasn't in the least bit intimated when my dad told her to keep her distance, she's put a note through my door which means she knows where I live and she's even tried to get mum on her side' Joey told him.

'But you and Lauren have worked things out though right?' he asked him, a little worried.

'Yeah, things between us are better than ever' he nodded his head with a grin 'in all departments if you know what I mean'

Brett grinned 'that's good to hear mate, so this note what did it say?'

'I haven't got a clue, I didn't read it' he said 'I burnt it in the sink'

'So you're really not interested in anything she has to say?' Brett asked him.

'I wasn't before I left to go to Hawaii and I wasn't in Hawaii and I'm not now. I'm marrying Lauren. We're setting up this place together. Lauren is my present and my future. Sarah is a shitty piece of my past that I really do not want to dwell on or dredge up again' he said 'the only thing I'm grateful to Sarah for, was being a cheating bitch, because that meant I met and fell in love with Lauren'

'Maybe she needs to hear that' Brett told him.

'Seriously mate, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of even breathing the same air as me' Joey told him. 'So what needs to be done today?'

Brett knew the conversation was over…for now at least. He pulled the plans forward and started talking.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was pleased that Lucy and Cynthia seemed to be getting on well together. Lauren had made it very clear to Lucy that she wasn't to go off and do things on her own, that Cynthia had all the information of what she and Joey wanted for their wedding and that there would be no deviation at all from the plan unless Cynthia had agreed it. Lucy had, albeit, reluctantly agreed, especially since Lauren had told her that she either agreed to the rules or she wasn't going to be involved in the wedding at all and that included being chief bridesmaid. After Cynthia and Lucy had arranged a time to meet up in a couple of weeks and Cynthia had left, Whitney arrived and the three of them went for lunch in the Vic and despite them not having seen each other for some time they fell back into their easy friendship and Lauren felt as though they'd never been apart.

Before Lauren returned to Joey, she popped in to see her dad at the car lot and invited him, mum and Abi over for dinner the next weekend. As Lauren drove back to the bar she was feeling happy. Everything was going to plan and she felt great. She smiled to herself, singing along to the radio.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT! Here's another chapter for you. Dont forget to leave me a review, xx**


	136. Chapter 136

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five**

Lauren walked into the bar, carrying a bag of food and drinks for the boys. 'Foods up!' she called out.

'Be right out babe!' Joey called back, Lauren thought it sounded as though he was out back somewhere. Lauren smiled and put the bag on a couple of upturned beer crates and walked around the main bar.

Brett appeared before Joey 'hey, sweetheart' he said with a smile, she turned and looked at him 'is this lunch?' he asked her, pointing at the bag.

'Yep' she nodded her head 'help yourself to whatever you want' she told him.

'Great I'm starved. Joey will be through in a minute or two…' he said, rummaging through the bag and grabbing a drink and a sandwich. 'Thanks for bringing this in' he gestured to the bag.

'You're welcome' Lauren smiled as she walked over to him, she pulled a bottle of drink out for herself and Brett pulled another crate over for her to sit at.

'You not eating?' he asked her.

'I had lunch with a couple of friends in the Vic' she replied 'so this place is going to be ready before the estimated opening night?'

'Fingers crossed' Brett nodded his head as he unwrapped his sandwich. 'We still have a lot of work to do but we're getting through it. Joey's worked like a dog this morning'

'You all are' Lauren said 'I hope this isn't impacting on the stripping' Lauren told him.

'It's not. I promise' Brett smiled at her 'We still getting the gigs and we're still rehearsing so it's all good. Besides we want to see this place be successful. You two deserve it'

'Thanks' Lauren smiled at him. 'That means a lot to me and Joey' she told him 'We really appreciate everything you're all doing'

'Like I said we're happy to help you' Brett told her as Joey came into the room.

'Hey gorgeous' he smiled at Lauren as he stooped down to pick up the bag of food.

'I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that unless we're alone' Brett deadpanned, making Lauren giggle. Joey shot him a look, rolling his eyes 'I wasn't talking to you' he said as he walked over to Lauren, she stood up to let him sit down and he pulled her onto his knee and kissed her softly.

'How did things go with mum and Lucy?' he asked her.

'I think Lucy understands what's at stake' Lauren said with a smile.

'What did you threaten her with?' Joey asked her knowingly.

'Not being in the wedding party' Lauren replied.

'Good call, babe' Joey grinned at her. Lauren beamed back at him.

'I thought so' she nodded her head.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After the boys had eaten, Lauren picked up up all the rubbish, stuffing it inside the paper bag. 'Okay. Do you need to go home and shower or are we good to go?' she looked at Joey expectantly.

'How long are we going to be again?' he asked her 'because we have a lot of work to do here' he said as five of the boys walked in.

'We had this conversation yesterday, Joey.' Lauren told him with a slight frown 'we'll be as long as it takes. This is our bar…I want everything to be perfect…'

Joey swallowed and nodded his head 'I probably need to shower' he said softly.

'Okay then in that case we need to make a move' she said to him 'or we're going to be late'

Joey nodded his head and he turned to Brett and mouthed "help me" to him. Brett smirked and looked at Lauren. 'So where are you going?' he asked.

'Shopping for glassware, optics, that kind of thing' she told him.

'You're going to have a great time, Joey' Brett replied 'besides we can cover the work here' he grinned at him, relieved it wasn't him going with her. Joey narrowed his eyes at his friend and turned to look at Lauren.

'We'd better make a move then' he told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After four hours, Lauren and Joey had procured the necessary glasses, optics and a couple of other things and Joey had actually been surprised about the many different styles and types of glasses that could be found. He was actually impressed with Lauren's ideas and tastes and her ideas of how to style the bar simply by the types of glasses and optics they brought. Lauren would never fail to amaze him. Now Lauren had gone to have a long soak in the bath and Joey was watching sports on TV with Popoki curled up on his lap asleep. He smiled as he looked down at her, she was so cute when she was sleeping. He scooped her up off his lap and lay her down on the cushion beside him. He pushed himself up off the sofa and headed to the bedroom, wanting to surprise Lauren when she got out of the bathroom. He walked to the wardrobe and he opened the door, looking for a certain outfit. He grinned when he found it and pulled the hanger off the rail before closing the door and walking over to the bed.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was feeling relaxed when she climbed out of the bath, she wrapped a towel around her body and another around her hair before reaching into the bath and pulling out the plug. Whilst she was waiting for the bath to empty she towel dried her hair and then ran a comb through it. She dried her body and wrapped the towel back around herself and then rinsed out the bath. After she cleaned her teeth she left the bathroom and headed towards the bedroom. Her mouth fell open as she saw Joey waiting for her on the bed, he was wearing one of his stripping costumes.

'Howdy, ma'am' he drawled, tipping his hat to her.

'Oh my!' Lauren exclaimed.

 **AN: Thanks for your review, glad you are enjoying TNT. Don't forget to leave me a review, x**


	137. Chapter 137

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Six**

Lauren turned her back on Joey to close the door, hoping she'd be able to compose herself a little bit before she turned back to him. He was sprawled out on the bed, wearing a cowboy hat, a pair of roughed up torn jeans and a leather waistcoat that was open and revealed his muscular chest. She licked her lips and took a deep breath before turning back round to face him. He grinned at her and patted the bed beside him. Lauren slowly walked over to the bed, her hands reached for the front of her towel, undoing it and letting it drop to the floor at her feet. She watched Joey's eyes darken as they travelled over her naked body. Lauren climbed up onto the bed, kneeling in front of him. He reached out and took her hand, tugging on it gently, encouraging her to straddle him. He moved his hands to her waist and pulled her down against his hardening member, she pressed her hands onto his chest, balancing herself against him as his hands moved up to cup her breasts.

'Hello, cowboy' she whispered with a smile. 'I guess you're pleased to see me, hey?'

'Always, darlin' always' he replied with a smirk. His thumb stroked over her nipples and she arched into his hands. He sat up suddenly, taking Lauren by surprise as his mouth closed over the peak of her breast, his tongue worrying the nipple and sending spikes of desire through her body. He paid the same attention to her other breast before he grabbed hold of her waist and flipped her over so she was lying on her back beneath him. 'I think it's time to have fun with this' he said to her and he reached under the pillow and pulled out the whip that came with the costume. Lauren looked up at him, her eyes filled with questions. 'Trust me?' he asked her, she swallowed and nodded her head. Joey smiled down at her and bent his head to press his lips against hers in a soft sweet kiss. 'Hands over your head babe' he instructed her. Lauren raised her hands over her head and Joey loosely secured her wrists to the bedframe with the whip. 'You hold on tight now, ma'am' he said to her tipping his hat to her again, causing Lauren to giggle. Joey moved to the end of the bed, kneeling by her feet. He picked one of her feet up and raised it to his lips, kissing the tip of each of her toes softly. He slowly worked his way up her leg, kissing or licking, even nibbling bluntly with his teeth. He peppered her inner thighs with soft kisses, keeping clear of the intimate area between her leg. When he pulled away from her and resumed his place at the foot of the bed she growled in frustration. He repeated his journey up her other leg but this time when he reached the apex at the top of her thighs he eased one finger inside her, bending it forward in a come here gesture as he rubbed against her G-spot. She tensed on the bed, her arms and legs going stiff as he repeated the gesture over and over again, bringing her quickly to her first orgasm. He withdrew his fingers when he'd worked her through her orgasm and she watched as he licked her juices from them, each one in turn, his eyes not leaving hers for a moment. 'You taste like heaven, babe' he murmured softly 'I need to have more of a taste' he murmured. He lowered his body between her thighs and Lauren gasped and writhed on the bed as Joey licked the length of her aching sex, not quite touching her where she needed him to. He was driving her crazy with desire and she knew he knew it. He knew exactly how to build her up to the brink and then stop, letting her pending orgasm fade before building her up all over again, and he was doing that just now. If her hands were free she would've grabbed his head and pressed it against her core, letting him know in no uncertain terms what he needed to do, but her hands were currently tethered to the bedframe. Joey licked her again and she groaned again, 'Please…please...please…' she murmured over and over again, hoping that he would show her some mercy and bring her to orgasm. Joey chuckled and tapped her clit with his tongue, causing her to moan even louder. Taking pity on her he drew the sensitive little nub into his mouth and sucked on it firmly, flicking his tongue over it and she shattered once more.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey turned Lauren so she was on her hands and knees, loosening the fastenings on her hands so he could mover them to a new place. He positioned himself behind her, taking his cock in his hand as he ran it along the length of her sex covering his cock with her juices. Lauren groaned softly at the touch on his skin on her already over-sensitive flesh, she'd already been the recipient of two very intense orgasms and Joey had yet to have his release. Lauren pressed her bottom back against him and the head of his cock slipped inside her. 'Joey…baby…please' she pleaded him with him. Joey slowly eased the rest of his length inside her and held still as he almost orgasmed there and then. He closed his eyes and took in some slow, deep breaths, trying to think of something other than the fact he was buried insides Lauren's tight wet core. He ended up thinking about bricks, counting how many would be needed to build a wall, when he felt his orgasm subside he slowly began to move, pulling out to the tip and pushing forward again. His hands moved to her hips as he began to increase his rhythm, holding her hips still.

His thighs were slapping against the back of hers and every time he thrust inside her she gave a low moan…now her moans were coming almost continuously, he stilled against her, wanting to prolong his release as much as he could. He leant forward, resting his chest against her back as he kissed her neck, he let go of her hips and his hands moved underneath her body to cup her breasts, squeezing them gently in his hands. Releasing one of them he moved his hand to delve between her legs, finding her clit. He pressed down on it hard and then began to rub firmly in a circular motion. 'Are you ready babe?' he whispered in her ear.

'Yes' she replied without hesitation. Joey shifted on the bed, and withdrew his length to the tip and slammed it back inside her, pushing her pelvis forward against his hand, which in turn gave the exact amount of pressure she needed on her clit. 'Please Joey…please' she pleaded with him.

'I'm almost there, Lauren' he gasped 'almost…come with me, babe' he said through clenched teeth as he thrust into her welcoming body hard and fast. The two of them screamed the other's name out at the same time as their mutual climax hit. Joey could see stars in his vision and he collapsed on top of Lauren as his muscles gave way. Lauren whimpered as she bore all of Joey's weight, sinking slowly into the mattress beneath him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Spent and exhausted, the two of them lay naked on the bed, 'I think the cowboy outfit might be my new favourite' she told him in a soft whisper.

'Yeah, even better than the fireman one?' Joey arched an eyebrow in surprise.

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head. 'Even better than that one' she replied with a smile.

'Well, I still have another eight to break out so I guess we'll have to wait and see what your favourite one is' he told her 'although I get the distinct impression you're going to say the next outfit I wear is going to be your favourite' he told her knowingly.

'Mmm, you're probably right' she nodded her head.

 **AN Thanks for all your review Sorry for the delay in posting... laptop issues! Dont forget to leave me a review I hope you like this chapter xx**


	138. Chapter 138

**One Hundred and Thirty -Seven**

Joey was first up the next morning. He climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and headed to the kitchen. He saw a card on the doormat and frowned as he walked over to the door, stooping down and picked it up. There was nothing written on the back so he flipped it over and looked at the front. He saw it was a card that would be used on a wreath at a funeral that read "In Loving Memory", he stared at the card, wondering who had put it through the door and what the hell it was supposed to mean. He walked into the kitchen and set the coffee machine going. He heard movement in the bedroom and he opened a drawer and dropping the card inside. He wasn't going to worry Lauren about this. She had enough on her plate to worry about without adding this on top of it too and to be truthful he was more puzzled than worried. He thought it could be one of the boy's idea of a joke. His single carefree days were almost over now he was engaged to Lauren. He shook his head, he'd talked to them later, tell them that Lauren wouldn't find the card funny. He turned as Lauren walked into the kitchen 'morning gorgeous' he beamed at her.

'Hi' she smiled back walking over to him and sliding her arms around his waist to hug him, she turned her face up to his for a kiss, which he gladly gave her.

'Did you sleep okay?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm, best night's sleep ever' she murmured.

'I'm glad to hear it, breakfast?'

'I'm not really that hungry this morning, I'll just have coffee' she said to him. 'I'll get something to eat later'

'Okay babe' he said kissing her again 'sofa or table?'

'Sofa' she said with a smile.

'You go get yourself comfortable and I'll being the coffee through' he told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later the two of them were snuggled on the sofa. 'So what are you going to do today?' he asked her.

'Not much, I think someone wore me out; she admitted her face slowly turning pink. I thought I'd look at the interior colours again' she said to him 'I'm undecided about the golden yellow colour' she said to him. I've got some blank canvasses and I was going to look at the combinations again, make sure they work together, then if they do I can start working on the signs for the bar and the other stuff' she said with a shrug.

'So you don't need the car?' he asked her.

'No I can get the bus to the DIY store, it's not that far and I'm only going to buy tester pots so…' she trailed off 'you need to put petrol in the car though, I forgot yesterday' she gave him a sheepish grin 'oh and you need to go food shopping, there's a list on the fridge' she reminded him.

'I'll go on the way back from the bar, do you want me to pick you up on the way?' he asked her.

She shook her head 'No, I'm going to try and work on the back piece to go behind the bar' she said to him 'I thought we could do it with coloured mirror tiles…Brett thinks it's going to be easy to do if I can get the design worked out' she told him with a smile.

Joey grinned at her 'my clever little Lauren' he ruffled her hair and she giggled. 'I look forward to seeing what you come up with' he told her.

'If I come up with anything' she replied 'so what are you and the boys going to do today?' she asked him.

'Plastering walls' he told her 'ready for you to paint' he teased her as he looked at the clock, 'well I'd better go take a shower' he said with a sigh, he stole a kiss and got up off the sofa, taking her cup from her and carrying it through to the kitchen. He walked towards the bathroom and then paused 'fancy joining me?' he asked her suggestively.

Lauren grinned at him, leaping up off the sofa. 'Absolutely' she nodded her head.

'I thought you were tired?' he asked as he walked over to him.

'Never too tired for that…' she replied smiling up at him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later that day, Joey was on his way to the supermarket, he'd spoken to most of the boys and none of them admitted to sending the card and none of them thought it was funny, they also insisted that the boys who weren't helping out of the bar that day wouldn't have sent it either. Joey was perplexed as to where it came from and was so glad he hadn't shared it with Lauren. He really didn't have a clue as to who could've put it through the door, or what it meant, and he didn't want to worry her about it.

He pulled up in the supermarket car park, checked his pocket for his wallet and the shopping list and headed towards the shopping carts.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

As he was walking down the dairy aisle he heard his name being called. He turned and there standing in front of the cottage cheese was Sarah. Joey turned away and grabbed the cheese he needed, starting to walk down the aisle once more, glancing down at his list again 'Joey!' Sarah called his name again but he ignored her and kept walking, intent on just getting the shopping and getting the Hell out of there. His mobile rang and he reached into his pocket, pulling it out, smiling when he saw Lauren was calling him. 'Hey baby' he answered the phone.

'Hey, whatcha doing?' she asked him in a lilting singsong voice.

'I'm in the supermarket' he told her

'Ooh!' she exclaimed excitedly 'can I add things to the list?' she asked him.

'Depends what they are, babe' he replied with a smile, knowing full well he would buy her anything she wanted, regardless of what it was she asked for.

'Wine' she said 'we need wine…lots' she told him.

'I've already added that to the list' he said to her 'I can't believe you left it off to start with'

'Well that wasn't the only thing I wanted you to get' she said to him with a giggle 'how was work?' she asked him.

'We've plastered all the walls in the main bar, tomorrow the boys need to rehearse for a gig at the weekend and we need to leave the plaster to dry so I've got a free day tomorrow. Do you fancy doing anything?' he asked her. 'We could go out on a date?' he suggested.

'Sounds good' she replied 'we can decide what we want to do when you get home' she said 'are we cooking or getting a takeaway?' she asked him.

'I've got a lasagne' he said to her 'I can pick up some salad and we're good to go'

'Yum, sounds perfect and you've got wine too right?'

'Not yet I haven't got that far' he said 'so what else did you want me to get?'

'Popoki needs some more litter and cat food'

'Got it'

'And get something yummy for dessert' she said 'chocolatey…'

'I know just the thing' Joey smiled 'Is that everything?'

'Mmmhmm, thank you, love you' Lauren told him.

'Love you too, babe. I'll see you soon' he told her and he blew her a kiss down the phone. He hung up and walked towards the next aisle, bumping into Sarah again.

'Joey, we need to talk' she told him. Joey sighed.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews as a treat and to make up for not posting for soooo long here is a second chapter. Dont foget to leave me arview for this one too!**


	139. Chapter 139

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Eight.**

Sarah frowned as Joey manoeuvred his trolley around her without a word and continued walking down the aisle. He paused and looked down at something in his hand and then picked up a packet of something, dropping it into the cart. Sarah followed after him.

'Joey, this is silly' she told him, matching his steps. 'What happened between us happened a long time ago, you can at least be civil to me' she said to him. 'We were close once' she persisted when he didn't respond.

Joey was trying his best to ignore her, but he could feel his temper rising inside him and he really didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the supermarket. He really didn't want to talk to her at all, the fact he was ignoring her and pretending she wasn't there didn't seem to be getting through to Sara at all. Joey paused again and looked at another item on the shelf before grabbing it and dropping it into the cart. He carried on down the aisle and turned up the next one. When Sarah reached him again he was on the phone, still following she hung back enough to try and overhear what he was saying and try to figure out who he was talking to. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Also unfortunately Joey remained on the phone throughout the remainder of his shopping trip. Joey only ended the call when he saw Sarah march angrily out of the supermarket. He grinned to himself and then looked down at the cashier who was scanning his groceries.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey whistled to himself as he wheeled the trolley towards the car, his joy was short lived when he saw Sarah standing by the car. 'Give me strength' he muttered to himself as he drew closer to the car.

'Joey please, we need to talk' Sarah said to him.

Joey unlocked the boot and began to load the shopping bags inside. 'We do?' he questioned 'about what?' he asked her.

'Us' she replied, sounding surprised that he didn't know that.

'There is no us, there hasn't been an us for a long time and there will never ever be an us again' he told her 'I'm not interested in anything you have to say' he told her as he slammed the boot shut. He left the shopping trolley in the empty space beside his car and he took a deep breath before walking around to the driver's door. He unlocked it and opened the door, reaching inside he put his keys in the ignition as he climbed into the car. Sarah raced around to the passenger side and opened the door, climbing in beside him before he even had a chance to close his door and lock the car. Joey saw red and turned to look at her. 'What the FUCK are you doing?' he raised his voice.

'If this is the only way to get you to talk to me then this is what I will have to do' she said to him, she reached for the seatbelt and started to pull it on 'you can drive us to a little pub not far from here and we can have a drink and sit down…talk…properly' she instructed him.

Joey's hands gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, he heard the click of the seatbelt and he reacted, reaching across to the seat and undoing the seatbelt, pushing Sarah 'GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY CAR!' he screamed at her. Sarah glanced at him not moving. Joey leapt out of the car and reached the passenger door in three strides, grabbing her arm and physically yanking her out of the car.

'Ow! Joey! You're hurting me!' Sarah exclaimed, surprised by his actions as he dragged her out of the car. Because she was trying to resist him once she was out of the car she stumbled and reached for Joey automatically, who in turn pushed her roughly away. She landed heavily and un-elegantly on the tarmac. Joey reached into the car for her handbag and tossed it at her, hitting her in the face.

'STAY AWAY FROM ME AND STAY AWAY FROM LAUREN. I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU' he shouted at her. 'I DON'T WANT TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS YOU' he slammed the passenger door shut and stomped back round to the driver's door and got in, slamming that door too. Sarah heard the engine roar as he started the ignition and tyres shrieked as he peeled out of the parking space and sped off. Sarah picked herself up off the floor, brushing her clothes off feeling flustered and upset. She'd scuffed her elbow and leg as she fell and they were both bleeding, but worse than that her pride had taken a serious beating. How dare he not want to talk to her! She thought to herself. How dare he treat her like she was something he'd trodden in! She decided she needed a drink and headed towards the little pub she'd planned for Joey to take her to.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren's smile faded on her lips when she saw the furious scowl that was on Joey's face when he came into the flat. He headed straight into the kitchen without even acknowledging her standing there waiting for him. She swallowed, wondering if he was upset with her. She walked into the kitchen tentatively 'Joey?' she said softly. He stopped unpacking the bags and rested his hands on the counter top, lowering his head and taking a couple of deep breaths. Lauren could see his arms were shaking with the tension in his body 'Joey, what's wrong?' she asked him.

Joey thought briefly about lying to her, the last thing he wanted to do was to have another argument about Sarah, but he knew he needed to tell her the truth. 'Sarah, that's what's wrong' he told her, his voice almost a growl. He took another deep breath letting it out in a sigh and he turned around to look at her.

'Sarah?' Lauren frowned at him.

'She was at the supermarket' he told her 'she tried to talk to me, but I ignored her, you calling me helped, and then when she tried to talk to me again, I called Brett' he told her. 'She seemed to have given up by the time I reached the checkouts but then when I pushed the trolley outside she was there waiting for me' he told her.

'What did she want?' Lauren asked him, already knowing the answer to that question.

'To talk, the bitch got in the fucking car' he told her.

'She did what?' Lauren exclaimed.

'She wanted me to take her to a pub round the corner where we could talk. I threw her out of the car and left her there lying on the ground' he told her.

'On the ground?' Lauren frowned confused.

'She stumbled as I dragged her out of the car and she tried to cling onto him, so I pushed her and she fell to the ground' he explained.

'Was she hurt?' Lauren asked him softly.

'I don't care if she was fucking hurt' Joey snapped at Lauren. He sighed 'Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you….I think she may finally have got the message now though'

Lauren nodded her head 'We can hope' she replied walking over to him, sliding her arms up his chest to circle her wrists behind his head, feeling the tension starting to ebb out of his body. 'Are you okay?' she asked him.

Joey nodded his head 'I am now' he told her with a smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Sarah threw back another gin and tonic. Everything was beginning to get clearer in her head now. She'd tried to do things nicely, she'd been civil and friendly but that got her nowhere and then she'd had to resort to underhand tactics and again she'd got nowhere. Now she was going to have to play dirty. She came to a quick decision, if she couldn't have Joey then she was going to make damn sure that no one else got to have him either. She pulled out her phone and dialled a number.

'Hello? Police please' she said, she waited for a few minutes 'Yes, I'd like to report an assault….'

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews. I hope you like this chapter! Dont forget to leave me a review. No second chapter tonight I'm afraid. I thought I'd leave you with a bit of a cliff hanger!**


	140. Chapter 140

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Nine**

Lauren smiled as Joey trailed his lips along her neck, he moved her hair away from her back and draped it to one side as his lips continued over the nape of her neck. One of his hands snaked around her waist and cupped her breast gently, his thumb flicking over the nipple until it puckered and stiffened, she kept her eyes closed, letting Joey think she was still asleep, she heard him sigh close to her ear and suddenly he rolled away from her. For a brief moment she thought he'd decided not to continue molesting her in her sleep, but she smiled again more as she felt him slide up behind her, kissing her neck and shoulder once more. She felt his erection pressing against her bottom as his hand skimmed over her breast before sliding down over her stomach, he pulled her back against him and his lips moved to the side of her neck 'Lauren….wake up' he whispered in her ear, prodding her with his erection. Lauren bit her lip trying not to laugh, seems like her fiancé wanted a little morning wake up sex. 'Babe….' He whispered again. Lauren continued to pretend to be asleep when Joey pulled away from her again and whipped the covers off her, she felt the cool air hit her skin and she sighed. Joey pulled her onto her back and she opened her eyes to look at him, he moved forward and kissed her, rolling on top of her at the same time, she opened her legs and he pressed against her centre, pushing forward until he was seated deep inside her. She moaned into his mouth as her body was stretched around him. He kissed her for long leisurely minutes, seemingly content to just be inside her and then he withdrew and pushed forward again, repeating his action over and over and over. Lauren felt herself spiralling towards the abyss as he worked her body into a frenzy, every single solitary inch of him seemed to brush against every single sensitive spot she had, he knew exactly how to use his body to give her as much pleasure as he possible could. Of course Joey would say the exact same thing about Lauren if anyone asked… she raked her fingernails over his back as she felt her peak rising, Joey groaned into her mouth and broke the kiss, looking down at her. She knew he was close to the edge too and she wanted to take him over with her, she tightened her grip on him, and he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and then he gasped. 'Lauren…love you' he murmured as he pulsed inside her, Lauren arched her back off the bed as her orgasm erupted within her sending tendrils of pleasure all the way from the toes on her feet to the top of her head. Joey was smiling down at her when her eyes opened again. 'I love you, you know that, right?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled, nodding her head 'I know, I love you too, Joey' she replied, pulling him down into a kiss. He withdrew his wilting member from her body, moving off her and rolling onto his side so he could face her. 'So what are our plans for today?' she asked him.

'Well, I was thinking that…oh hold that thought' he said as a loud knock on the front door interrupted them.

'It's a bit early for visitors, isn't it?' Lauren said glancing over Joey's shoulder at the alarm clock, it was only just 8:00am.

'I'll get rid of them' he replied as he climbed out of bed, he opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and stepped into them, reaching in again he pulled out a t-shirt and was pulling it on as he exited the bedroom. He reached the front door as someone knocked on it again, he unlocked it and was surprised to find two male Police Officers standing on his doorstep. 'Can I help you?' he asked them with a frown.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Joseph Matthews?' one of them said

'Yes' Joey nodded his head, wondering why the Police were here 'what's happened?' he asked them, suddenly concerned something had happened to his parents or sister.

'Joseph Matthews, I'm arresting you on suspicion of actual bodily harm. You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence' one of the officers read Joey his rights.

'Turn around please' the other office instructed.

Joey frowned but turned around and he was handcuffed. 'Lauren!' he called out urgently.

Lauren frowned and pulled her robe on and headed out of the bedroom. She was surprised to see Joey handcuffed and being led out of the house by two policeman 'Joey! What's going on?'

'Call Derek' was all he was able to say to her as he was led out of the flat towards a waiting Police car.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren called Derek and her dad and was somewhat frantic when they arrived some time later. 'Lauren, what's happened?' Max asked her.

'Joey…Joey's been arrested' she told them both 'the Police turned up here this morning just before I called you and arrested him, they led him out of the flat in handcuffs' she sobbed.

'Arrested?' Derek asked 'for what?'

Lauren shrugged, shaking her head 'I don't know, but he had a run in with Sarah last night at the supermarket…do you think it could have something to do with that?' she asked him.

'I'll call my lawyer' Derek said, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket as Max put his arm around Lauren, trying to comfort her.

'It's going to be okay, sweetheart' Max said to her, kissing the top of her head. 'Why don't you go get dressed, hey? Run some water over your face, run a brush through your hair and then we'll go down the Police station and sort this out?' he asked her. Lauren looked up at him, glanced at Derek and then nodded her head. 'Good girl' Max gave her a smile as she walked out of the room. Derek hung up the phone and looked at Max.

'He's calling the Police station, see if he can find out what Joey's been arrested for. If the boy has any sense he won't be talking to them until the lawyer gets there' he said. Derek's phone rang again a little while later as Lauren came back into the room. 'Derek Matthew' he said as he answered the call. 'Joey!' he exclaimed 'Don't worry, my lawyers already on the case' he said to him 'are you okay?' he asked his son. Max and Lauren watched Derek as he spoke to Joey 'Actual bodily harm? Who? Sarah?' he said. Derek listened some more. 'Yes, Lauren called me and Max, we're both with her now…she's a little upset and confused…of course… you haven't said anything to the Police have you? Good. Keep it that way until Jimmy gets there, and when he gets there listen to what he advises you to do okay?' Derek instructed him 'what drawer? Kitchen?' Derek looked towards the kitchen, before walking into the room he opened a drawer and looked inside, 'yes I see it. Okay, I'll bring it down give it to Jimmy' he said 'we'll have you out of there in no time' Derek said to him 'yes I'll tell her, okay. See you soon son' he said and he hung up the phone.

'Is he okay? What's happening? What's in the drawer? What did he say?' Lauren reeled off a stream of questions to him. Derek found a sandwich bag and he put his hand inside it and reached into the drawer and picked up the card and looked at it. 'What's that?' Lauren asked.

'Joey's been arrested for assaulting Sarah' Derek explained to her as he closed the drawer and put the card into his pocket. 'He's fine, a little bit dazed and a little bit pissed off. He's refused to talk until he has a lawyer present, all he's done is confirm his name and address' Derek told her 'Jimmy's going to meet us down at the station and Joey asked me to tell you that he's sorry he's ruined today and if you let him he'll make it up to you' he told her 'He asked me to tell you that he loves you and he's sorry'

Lauren nodded her head 'are we going to the Police station now?'

'I'll drive' Max said as Lauren grabbed her handbag off the side and headed to the door.

 **AN: Thanks for your reviews, sorry for the delay in posting I've been a bit poorly! I;ve also started another fanfiction that has nothing to do with Eastenders...and I have to admit it's taken up a lot of my attention! So anyway...I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please do not forget to leave me a review. xx**


	141. Chapter 141

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty**

Lauren, Derek and Max had been at the Police Station for three hours, Derek had spoken to Jimmy briefly before he was taken through to see Joey. To say Lauren was feeling frustrated was an understatement. Derek and Max seemed to be more chilled and relaxed than she was. They still didn't know any more than they did went they got there. Lauren grumbled in her seat next to Max. 'Seriously what is taking so long, this is ridiculous. Joey didn't do anything wrong, that psycho ex of his is behind this…she's the one they should be arresting' she snapped angrily.

'Lauren, calm down' Max murmured softly as he spotted the Police Officer behind the counter looking through the window at his daughter 'the last thing we want is for you to be arrested too'

'What are they going to arrest me for?' Lauren turned her anger onto her father. 'I'm not doing anything wrong'

Derek glanced at her and then stood up as he saw Jimmy come through the double doors that led to the interview rooms. He was expecting to see Joey trailing through behind him and his heart sank when he didn't. 'Where's Joey?' he asked him.

'He's been taken down to the cells to calm down a little bit, he lost his temper I'm afraid' Jimmy said, setting his suitcase down on the floor by the chairs.

'So what happens now? How long are they going to keep him here? Have they charged him with anything yet? Are they looking for Sarah?' Lauren fired questions at Jimmy.

Jimmy turned to look at Lauren and grabbed an empty chair. He pulled it over to sit in front of the trio. 'They're giving him half an hour to calm down and then we'll go back in and talk some more' he told them all 'he's bearing up well considering. They've asked him the same questions over and over in an attempt to make him slip up with his answers, but he hasn't wavered from his first answer. It's not surprising that he lost his temper, although no doubt they will try to use this against them' he explained 'I'm not convinced they actually have any evidence to charge Joey with anything. They have no witness statements and it appears they're just acting on the words of Sarah' he told them. 'They, of course, can hold Joey for 24 hours without charge, but frankly I don't think that will happen. There are no witness statements, no CCTV footage of the event. Joey's version of events differ from the version Sarah has given' he said.

'Can we see him?' Lauren asked, already knowing the answer.

'I'm afraid not' Jimmy smiled sadly, shaking his head. 'All Joey needs to do is continue to tell the truth' he said 'and try not to lose his temper again'

'Do you think he'll be home tonight?' she asked.

'I don't know' Jimmy replied 'I'll do everything I can to get him released today' he assured her 'but there are no guarantees' Lauren nodded her head, feeling her eyes fill with tears at the thought of Joey having to spend the night in jail, the thought of being in the flat by herself.

'Have you told them about Sarah suddenly showing up out of the blue? About her visiting the flat? Putting a letter through the door, how she harassed Joey's mother? That she followed Joey?'

'Joey has told the Police that' he nodded his head.

'And are they going to do anything about that?' she asked him with a frown.

'I don't know' he shook his head. Lauren felt her temper rising again.

'Well if they're not going to do their jobs then I guess I'll have to do it for them' she growled and she got up and rushed out of the Police Station. Max stood up to go after her, but Derek put a hand on his shoulder.

'Let me' he said. Max nodded his head and Derek followed Lauren outside. Lauren hadn't made it further then sitting on the steps outside. Derek sat down beside her. 'I know how you feel sweetheart' he told her 'but you getting angry and running off, finding Sarah, you're just going to be playing straight into her hands' he told her 'I know you love Joey and the last thing you want to do is cause him even more trouble, but if you go after Sarah then I fear that's what you'll do' he said to her softly. 'Sooner or later she's going to slip up and we'll catch her out'

'Why is she doing this?' Lauren whispered, frowning at Derek.

'She wants Joey back' Derek shrugged 'we already knew that'

'And she thinks getting him arrested for actual bodily harm will mean he'll just go running back to her?' she frowned 'that makes no sense'

'Why don't you come back inside?'

'I'm going crazy just sitting there doing nothing' Lauren said to him.

'Well, how about we go get something to eat then?' he suggested 'there's a café a couple of streets from here, makes a mean breakfast'

'What about Joey?' Lauren looked up at him.

'Jimmy will stay here for him. I think he's right, I think the Police are going to keep him in for 24 hours. See if he breaks and changes his story' he told her. 'He'll call us if there's any change and we can be back here in fifteen minutes. Joey won't even now we're not here, it can take a couple of hours to be processed for release' he told her. Lauren sighed. 'Darling, Joey wouldn't want you to spend your day sitting in the Police station worrying about him' he told her

'It doesn't matter where I'll be, I'll still be worrying about Joey.' she told him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren let herself into the empty flat as she switched on the lights. This wasn't exactly the way she'd hoped the day would turn out. She and Joey had plans, plans that didn't involve Joey being arrested and spending the night behind bars. Max had offered to spend the night with her at the flat, or even to take her back the house, but she knew she didn't want to leave Popoki alone overnight. The poor little thing hadn't had any food all day and she must be starving. She walked into the kitchen and set about getting some fresh meat for the kitten. She put the bowl on the floor as Popoki bounded through with a series of mews. Lauren smiled and tickled the kitten's ears as she tucked into her food. A loud rap on the front door made her jump, she glanced at it and smiled, clearly her dad had decided to come and stay with her tonight despite her insisting she would be fine. Lauren glanced at Popoki and then walked to the front door opening it with a smile on her face. A smile that faded quickly when she saw who was standing in front of her.

 **AN**


	142. Chapter 142

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One.**

'You've got a nerve showing your face here' Lauren snapped at her.

Sarah looked over Lauren's shoulder 'I came to see Joey' she told him 'It's really important that I talk to him, I need to explain, to apologize' she said to her.

'Well, you're out of luck, Joey's not here' Lauren said to her and she started to close the door. Sarah stepped forward putting her foot in the door, blocking it.

'I don't think you heard me. I said I want to see Joey' Sarah said firmly.

Lauren's temper was barely in check 'GET. YOUR. FOOT. OUT. OF. MY. DOOR' Lauren spat out through clenched teeth.

'This is Joey's apartment, not yours and I'm not leaving until I see Joey' Sarah insisted. Lauren raised her foot and stomped down as hard as she could on Sarah's foot, causing her to shriek out in pain and withdraw her foot. Lauren slammed the door and threw the deadlock. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and rushed through to the hallway, dialling 999.

'Police please' she said when the operator answered.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Sarah was more than a little pissed off when the Police turned up at the flat within a couple of minutes, she was even more surprised when the Police knocked on the door and when Lauren opened the door she was crying and shaking and seemed to be terrified. Sarah narrowed her eyes at Lauren, knowing that she was just putting this on for the benefit of the Police Officers.

One of the officers stayed outside with Sarah and the other one went inside with Lauren. Some forty minutes later the second officer exited the flat and Lauren closed the door smirking at Sarah when neither of the Police Officers were looking at her.

Lauren closed the door grinning to herself, she walked through to the kitchen and she opened a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. She carried it over to the sofa and sat down. Popoki joined her a few minutes later, settling on her lap and curling into a little ball. 'Let's see how she likes getting a dose of her own medicine' Lauren said with a smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Derek was surprised to get a phone-call from Jimmy at 10:00pm. 'Is everything okay?' he asked him 'has something happened?'

'You could say that and everything is fine, I just got a call from the Police Station' he told him 'It appears that Sarah paid Lauren a visit tonight' he told him.

'I knew she shouldn't go back to the flat by herself but she insisted' he sighed.

'Well, Lauren called the Police and by all accounts put on a little show telling the Police she was terrified…Sarah got picked up and taken into the station a little over an hour ago. She's currently helping Police with their enquiries'

'What does that mean?'

'It means she slipped up…sooner than we thought but she slipped up nonetheless. I'm working on getting Joey released tonight' he told him, 'I'm heading down to the station now, I'll be in touch when I know more'

'Thanks, Jimmy. I'll head over to Lauren and Joey's' he said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

It was nearing midnight and Lauren and Derek were still at the flat waiting for news from Jimmy. Lauren's hope that Joey would be released had faded as the time ticked by. She was tired, she wanted to go to bed, but she didn't want to go to bed alone, she wanted Joey. Lauren sighed and got up 'Coffee?' she asked Derek.

'Please' Derek nodded his head. Lauren walked into the kitchen with water, getting the cups ready. He didn't think Joey was going to be released tonight, but he didn't want to leave Lauren on her own, he wondered worriedly why Jimmy hadn't called with an update so that the two of them would know one way or the other. He stood up and walked through to the bathroom, splashing some water on his face before walked back through to the kitchen. He just reached the lounge when he heard someone outside the flat. He walked to the door and opened it, stunned to see a dishevelled looking Joey there. 'Joey!' he exclaimed, reaching forward to grab his son and pull him into a hug. Jimmy stood on the doorstep behind the two men, watching the reunion with smile.

'Joey?' they heard Lauren's whispered voice from the kitchen. In a daze she came into the lounge and Joey looked up at her. Derek let him go and Joey moved forward towards Lauren. A patter of tiny feet barrelling towards him caught his attention and he looked down to see Popoki making a break for the wide open front door. He bent down and caught her and she mewed at him. Jimmy and Derek stepped outside and closed the door behind them. 'She's missed you too' Lauren told him softly, feeling her eyes fill with tears as she looked at Joey. He was now wearing a tatty looking grey t-shirt that was clearing four sizes too big for him, he needed to shave and he looked tired.

'She was making another break for freedom' Joey said as Popoki rubbed her head against his face. He smiled and put her down on the floor and she ran into the kitchen and started to eat. 'Hey' he said to Lauren, reaching for her and pulling her into his arms 'are you okay?' he asked her.

'I should be the one to ask you that' she sobbed quietly against his neck.

'Ssh, I'm okay' he told her 'I could use a shower and a shave and some decent food, but I'm okay' he murmured softly.

'I was so worried' Lauren told him 'Especially when Jimmy told us that you'd been taken down to the cells to calm down because you lost your temper' she pulled away to look at him.

'You would've lost your temper too if they were asking you the same questions over and over again, hoping you'd slip up with your answers' he told her softly as he wiped her tears away with his fingers. 'Jimmy told me you had a visitor?'

'She wanted to see you' she told him 'I played her at her own game' she said with a smile. 'The Police came and picked her up…apparently they'd been looking for her all day…I guess at least we know where she's going to be tonight' she added with a small smile.

'You are such a smart girl' he told her with a smile and he pulled her into a kiss just as Derek opened the door and came inside.

'Oops, sorry' he said softly. 'I didn't mean to interrupt you' he said as the two of them broke apart.

'It's okay dad' Joey said turning around to look at him. 'Thanks for everything today, dad' he told him.

'It's okay' he said with a smile 'Jimmy tells me they released you without charge'

'Yeah' he nodded his head 'Apologised for the inconvenience' he replied.

'How come?' Lauren asked him.

'Sarah changed her story' Joey said. 'Probably had something to do with you' he looked at Lauren.

'Well I'm going to go home, if you need anything, give me a call' he told them both with a smile.

'Thanks Derek' Lauren smiled, moving away from Joey and hugging her future father-in-law and kissed him on the cheek. 'For everything'

'You're welcome, sweetheart. Family looks after family' he told her.

'I'll see you out, dad' Joey said.

Lauren smiled and went into the kitchen, giving the two men some privacy. When Joey came into the kitchen, she'd made him a coffee and a sandwich and she carried the tray through to the lounge, setting it down on the coffee table.

'Mmm thanks, babe' he told her with a smile as he sat down on the sofa.

AN: Thanks for all hour review for TNT. I am so glad you like it! Hope you like this chapter too... dont forget to leave me a review

xx


	143. Chapter 143

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty-two**

Lauren yawned and glanced at the clock. 'It's late' Joey said 'we should go to bed' he told her. Lauren nodded her head as Joey stood up.

'Why don't you go take a shower, I'll clean up in here' she told him 'close the curtains I'll come through in a while'

'Okay' Joey said with a smile, he bent down and kissed her softly 'see you in a minute' he told her.

Lauren sighed as she heard the bathroom door shut and the shower start up. She gathered up the plate and cups and carried it through to the kitchen. She washed and dried them before putting them away. Next she checked Popoki had food and water and she cleaned out the litter box, putting the soiled bits in the bin under the sink, she tied the bin bag up and carried it to the front door, stepping outside and put the bag in the bin. Once she was back inside the flat she locked the door, threw the deadbolt on and pulled the chain across. She washed her hands in the kitchen sink, dried them on the towel, making a mental note that she needed to do some washing tomorrow.

She shut off the light and walked through to the lounge and the large windows. She started to pull the curtains across when she saw a figure standing under the street lamp, for a frightening moment she thought it was Sarah, her heart began pounding in her chest and she was frozen to the spot. Suddenly another figure appeared and embraced the first and Lauren smiled, she felt a little silly for thinking that it was Sarah who was outside, watching the flat. She couldn't stop watching the couple outside, they looked so happy as they slowly danced together.

She heard the shower stop and then footsteps coming out of the bathroom, but she couldn't stop watching the couple outside. They were clearly so in love with each other, Lauren knew that feeling well, she and Joey were head over heels for each other. She heard feet coming into the lounge. 'I thought you were coming to bed' Joey said softly as he crossed the room to join her.

'I am' she replied 'look' she glanced out of the window again.

Joey slid his arms around her waist as he looked at the young couple, he smiled as they kissed. 'Are you being a voyeur?' he teased her.

She shook her head 'no, I was closing the curtains when I saw her there alone, at first I thought it was Sarah but then he turned up and…I couldn't stop watching, it's not like they're having sex' she pointed out.

'Speaking of sex…' Joey murmured softly, 'I believe we were interrupted earlier' Lauren closed her eyes when she felt Joey's lips on her neck, as his hands moved to her waist. His nimble fingers slid into the front of her leggings until he reached her knickers, not stopping there his fingers crept under the small scrap of lace and delved between her legs. Lauren moaned softly, leaning her head back against Joey's shoulder as he circled his thumb lazily around her clit. She moved her legs further apart as he pushed a finger inside her. She was already aroused and he bit down on her neck with blunt teeth. Suddenly neither of them were feeling tired anymore, their need for each other taking over. Joey inserted another finger and Lauren gasped, she turned her head to look at him, one of her hands moving to cup his face as she drew him into a kiss. He moaned as her tongue delved into his mouth, caressing his gently. Waves of desire ebbed through him. He needed to be inside her. He needed to be inside her now. He removed his fingers from her succulent flesh and pushed at the waistband of her leggings, pushing them lower until he felt her working them down her legs with her feet.

Lauren stepped out of her leggings as she heard Joey's towel drop to the floor, she turned to face him and glanced down to see his impressive length jutting out between his thighs. Joey placed his hands on her waist, lifting her as if she weighed no more than a bag of sugar. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around her neck. Joey impaled her on his length and they groaned in unison. His mouth closed over hers as he began a relentless pace. He turned suddenly, pressing her up against the wall and his hands moved to her shirt, tugging it upwards. Lauren helped him remove it and threw it away without caring where it landed. He unhooked her bra next and tossed that behind him blindly. 'So beautiful…' he murmured as his mouth closed over a nipple.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey smiled as he carried her through into the bedroom, he could see her love for him burning in her eyes and he felt himself harden even more inside her, carefully not to slip out of her as he gently lay her down on the bed.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Sarah frowned from her hiding place in the shadows. She'd thought that Joey's little stint in the Police Station would've caused a rift between the two of them but clearly that wasn't the case, not after what she'd just witnessed. She'd barely got away with being locked up herself until she burst into tears, telling the officers that when she was attacked it was dark and she was certain that it was Joey, but now she wasn't so sure…she apologised for wasting their time and said she felt awful that the wrong person had been arrested, she'd been left off with a warning. She, of course, denied that she was stalking Joey, she'd told them that they'd recently started to bump into each other and that it was entirely coincidental, she was certain the Police didn't believe her story entirely but, as they'd her there was nothing they could charge her with, although they did warn her to stay away from Joey and Lauren in the future. Something Sarah was quick to agree to. Now she was standing outside their flat and she was angry her plan hadn't worked. She was going to have to think of another plan, but this time she was going to have to be careful…and cleverer. An idea popped into her head and she smiled to herself. This idea was perfect. She turned and walked towards her car. This plan was going to work, she was sure of it.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews...as a treat and apology for not posting regularly...here's a second chapter! Dont forget to leave me a review xxx**


	144. Chapter 144

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Three**

Lauren's toes slid into the soft golden sand as she walked along the beach, the sun was warm on her bare shoulders and a gentle cooling breeze blew her hair gently. She was happy, she was going to meet the man she loved with all her being at the little bar they ran on the beachfront. She was glad they'd decided to come back to Hawaii, this was where she'd been the happiest she'd ever felt in her entire life. And she knew she would continue to feel this way until the day she died. A strange rumbling noise pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up at the sky, expecting to see storm clouds, but there were none, the sky was a sheet of pure blue, not a cloud of any shape or size in sight. She shrugged and carried on walking towards the bar, there wasn't much further to go now. She'd soon be reunited with her lover. A grin spread across her face, her lover and soon to be husband.

The rumbling noise came again and Lauren steps faltered in the sand, the noise sounded frightening, perhaps it was an earthquake... small one obviously. Not that she'd ever been in an earthquake before, she had no idea what they sounded like or what they felt like. She hoped that she would never find out. She could see Joey now, but he hadn't seen her yet. Usually he'd be looking out for her and their eyes would meet and the brightest smile she'd even seen would spread across his face, one that would take her breath away. She'd had other boyfriends before, she'd thought she'd been in love then, but that was before she'd met Joey Matthews. She wondered what Joey was looking at, what had him staring at it with such vivid rapture. She glanced to her right and looked out to sea. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, at least she didn't think she did. The rumbling sound was back again, now that she thought about it the noise was more of a roaring noise and it was getting louder. She looked at Joey again and she saw there were now more people standing on the beach looking out to sea. She watched as Joey walked out from behind the bar and joined the people standing in front of it. She looked out towards the sea again, she could see something on the horizon but she wasn't sure what it was. She frowned, raising her hand above her eyes to block out the sun, but she still couldn't figure out what it was. Something sharp dug into her foot and she swore and hopped backwards, falling onto her rear. She looked into the sand in front of her and saw a broken glass, looking at the bottom of her foot she could see blood oozing out from the cut on the bottom. She wished she'd thought to bring her flip flops with her, Joey was always telling her to wear flip flops in case this very thing happened, she should've listened to him. She brushed her thumb over the cut, rubbing the blood away, she could see it wasn't a deep cut and it seemed to have stopped bleeding already. She stood up and glanced out to sea again, the strangeness she'd seen before had now gone. She stepped over the broken glass and headed back towards the bar, she wondered if Joey had seen her yet. She looked up and realised with horror the bar was gone.

Lauren stood still, she didn't understand where the bar had gone. One minute it was standing there, the next it was gone. It couldn't have just disappeared like this. That was impossible. She frowned, everything looked different now but strangely the same, the only thing missing were the buildings and the people. Where did they all go? She started to walk a little faster now, scanning the beach to see Joey or anyone.

'Joey!' she called out 'JOEY!' She felt her foot tread on something cold and soft. She looked down and saw she was standing on someone's hand. She jerked backwards in surprise and shock, a scream building in her throat as she realised it was a dead body lying in front of her. Her eyes reached the face and her hand flew up to cover her mouth as the scream died in her throat. She was looking into the cold dead eyes of Joey.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren jolted awake in the bed. The last remnants of the dream came back to her and she turned her head sharply, relief flooding through her as she saw Joey asleep beside her in the bed. She was covered it a cold sweat and her heart was pounding in her chest so hard she was surprised it hadn't woken Joey up. It'd been a while since she'd dreamt of the tsunami, but even her previous dreams hadn't been quite as vivid as this one. It had felt so real. She climbed out of bed and opened her bedside table, pulling out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and dressing quickly. Her breath was too fast and she was starting to feel a little faint. She looked at Joey who was still sound asleep in the bed, oblivious to her distress. She knew that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. She closed the bedroom door quietly behind her and walked through to the kitchen. She made herself some hot chocolate and carried it through to the lounge, sitting down on the sofa and curling her feet under her. The dream had really rattled her. It had been months since she'd dreamt of the events that happened there. She shivered with cold and pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa wrapping it around herself. She was confused as to why she was suddenly dreaming about this again. Maybe she needed to talk to her dad about it…not that she'd ever really told anyone about the dreams, not in any great detail anyway…there was always the counsellor she was seeing. The one Lauren hated with a passion. She frowned, the image of the devastation she saw was so clear in head. She needed to find some way of getting it out. She noticed her sketchpad and pencils under the coffee table. She leant forward putting her cup on the table and she reached underneath the table for the tray.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL*JL**

Lauren jumped when she heard the bedroom door open. She quickly closed the sketchpad and put her pencils away, putting them back under the coffee table. She leapt off the sofa, grabbing the empty cup and rushing into the kitchen. She heard the toilet flush and then a bleary-eyed Joey appeared in the kitchen. 'What are you doing up? It's 6:00am' he said to her.

'Thirsty' she replied, grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

'Coming back to bed?' he asked her.

Lauren licked her lips, she was tired but she was afraid of having the dream again. She'd go with Joey and when he fell asleep again she'd get up again. Lauren forced a smile on her face and nodded.

Joey held out his hand and she crossed the room, slipping her hand into his, letting him lead her back to the bedroom.

Once they were in the bed, Joey snuggled up to her, holding her close to him, he was asleep again soon after. Laure lay awake as she felt a sense of foreboding building inside her. She had a feeling that everything she had now, every happiness she felt was going to be ripped away from her, just like the tsunami had in Hawaii.

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews for TNT! I am so sorry I havent updated for a while the autumn period is the most busy period for me at work and things have been hectic to ay the least and I have been shattered! But now that we are winding down to Christmas I hope to be able to post regularlry again! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Dont forget to leave me a review. Back tomorrow!**


	145. Chapter 145

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty-four**

Joey knew something was wrong when he woke up for the second time that morning, alone in the bed. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was almost 10:00am. He threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, expecting to find Lauren in the lounge but it was empty. He walked through to the kitchen and saw a note on the table.

"Joey, I've gone for a walk, back soon. Love Lauren xx" he read. He frowned and left the note on the table, he had no idea when she'd left this or when she was going to be back. He sighed, walking into the kitchen to make himself a coffee when he heard the key in the door. A few moments later Lauren came in.

'Hey, you're up' she said softly.

'Mmhmm, literally a few seconds ago, coffee?' he asked her.

'Please' she replied with a nod of her head, Joey heard her throw the deadbolt on the door and he glanced up at her as she unzipped her coat and hung it over the back of the chair. 'I called Brett, told him we wouldn't be in today' she said as she walked to the fridge to get the milk out for Joey.

'Did you say why?' he asked her.

'No, we don't have to give reasons, we're the owners' she said a little snappishly. She left the kitchen and walked over to the sofa, sitting down, a few moments later Joey heard voices fill the room as Lauren turned on the TV. He made the coffee and took it through to the lounge, Lauren smiled up at him as he sat down. 'Thank you' she said taking a cup from him.

'So what are we doing today?' he asked her.

'I don't really feel much like doing anything today, I thought we could stay in? Snuggle, catch up on some programmes we've recorded' she said as she flicked through the sky planner. Joey smiled, putting his arm around her shoulder.

'That sounds like the perfect day' he told her with a smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later that night, when the two of them went to bed Lauren snuggled up against Joey, resting her head on his chest. The change in his breathing let her know he'd fallen asleep, she waited a few minutes before climbing out of bed, wrapping herself in his robe and sneaking into the lounge.

For the second morning running, Joey woke up alone. He frowned, wondering where Lauren was, she wasn't usually a morning person, but now she seemed to be up with the larks. He glanced at the clock, it was 6:00am. He groaned, he'd had a good night's sleep but he didn't want to get out of bed yet…that being said, he was curious to know where Lauren was. He got out of bed and saw his robe was missing, he smiled knowing she had it. He pulled on his sweatpants and went in search of her. He found her on the windowsill, her sketchpad on her lap, a cup of coffee in her hand.

'Morning, babe. You're up early' he said. Lauren jumped slightly, not having heard him get up. She closed her sketch pad, sliding off the windowsill and putting it down where she'd sat, the coffee cup of top of it.

'Morning' she said with a smile 'I was just sketching some ideas' she gestured to the sketchpad, she took his hand in hers 'breakfast?' she asked him, leading him into the kitchen.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Saturday night came and Lauren was busy laying the table as Joey was checking on the roast lamb. Her parents and sister would be here soon and Lauren wanted to make sure everything was perfect. She'd been a little short tempered today…well for a few days actually if Joey really thought about it, but then moments later she was being clingy and apologetic. Joey wasn't the only one who'd bored the brunt of Lauren's short temper, Popoki had also had a few choice words thrown at her, and now the kitten was making herself scarce. Joey knew this was the first time her parents had come over to the flat and she wanted to make sure everything was clean and sparkling, but he wasn't quite sure this was all her temper was down to, but he also knew tonight wasn't the night to push it either. He checked the vegetables and picked up the bottle of wine and he poured himself and Lauren a glass and carried them over to her.

'Babe, the table looks great' he told her 'everything is perfect' she beamed up at him.

'Do you think so?' she asked him.

'No, I can see it is, you've done an amazing job here, Lauren' he told her 'here'

She took the glass and took a drink 'mmm, this is good' she said.

'Only the best for my girl' he said bending down to steal a kiss. A timid knock on the door broke them apart and Lauren handed the glass back to Joey before rushing to the door. She took a deep breath before she opened the door 'Mum, dad, Abi, hi…Come in' she smiled at them.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Max was worried about Lauren, she looked shattered. He wondered if she was taking too much on all at once with the bar and the wedding. He knew she'd asked Cynthia and Lucy to take care of the wedding arrangements but Lauren and Joey were the ones who had to agree the costs. He'd tried to talk to Joey about it but Lauren wouldn't leave the boy alone, wherever he went she went too, which made him a little bit more concerned. Another little bit of odd behaviour he'd noticed about her. Joey seemed to be watching Lauren like a hawk too. He wondered if everything was okay between the two of them or if they'd had a fight and were trying too hard to act like everything was normal between them. The two of them saw them all out at the end of the evening, Joey's arm around Lauren's shoulders and her arm around his waist. For all intents and purposes they looked like they were still the same loved up couple. Maybe he was just being too concerned. Couples had fights, he knew that better than anyone. Max decided he would call Lauren tomorrow, see if she wanted to have lunch or coffee sometime next week. He smiled as he waved at them before he reversed off the drive.

'Well I think that went well, don't you?' Joey said leading Lauren back inside.

'Yes, I do. Mum and Abi loved the flat. Dad seemed a little odd though' she frowned.

'Odd how?' Joey asked her, watching as she locked the door.

'Didn't you notice how he kept staring at us, at me? He looked as though he wanted to ask us something but thought better of it' she said. Joey shook his head.

'Nope, I didn't notice anything. I think you've imagined it babe' he told her as he yawned. 'I don't know about you babe, but I'm ready for bed' he told her 'we've got a busy day at the bar tomorrow'

Lauren nodded her head, she held onto the back of his shirt as she followed him into the bedroom. 'But it's Sunday!' she grumbled.

'And yet…' Joey smirked 'one of the downsides of having your own business, unsociable hours'

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews. I hope you all had a Happy Christmas! Don't forget to leave mea review... back soon xxxx**


	146. Chapter 146

**One Hundred and Forty-five**

Wednesday morning found Joey once again waking up alone in the bed. He was now beginning to get concerned about Lauren. They hadn't had sex since the night he was released from the Police Station. Not that he and Lauren were just about sex, but up until that night they'd led a pretty healthy sex life. Now she seemed to be shying away from him but on the other hand she was being very clingy, wanting to know where he was all the time, wanting to be with him. The only time he got to himself was when he need the bathroom or when he was in the shower… and when he woke up in the morning. Any other time and Lauren was always there. Not that he minded. He would happily spend every moment of every day with her… including those moments in the bathroom or in the shower. He was going to ask her about it after breakfast. See if he could get to the bottom of things.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey glanced at Lauren as he pulled the car out of the driveway. She looked tired and pale and he was even more worried about her than he had been earlier. 'Are you sure you don't want to stay at home today?' he asked her for the third time. 'If you're not feeling well, I'm sure a few days in bed will do you the world of good? There are things that we can be getting on with at the bar without you being there if you don't feel up to it' he told her.

Lauren frowned 'Are you trying to get rid of me?' she asked him in a quiet voice.

'No of course not' he said 'I just don't want you to overdo things and get sick, that's all. You don't seem to have been yourself for a few days and I'm worried'

Lauren frowned, 'I'm fine. I'm not sick' she shook her head. 'In fact I've never felt better' she lied to him.

'You've been up earlier than me every morning for a few days now' he said to her.

'I've been having ideas about the bar and I wanted to get them down on paper before I forgot them' she said in explanation.

'And we haven't had a sex for a while' he said. Lauren chewed on her bottom lip.

'A week, Joey. We haven't had sex for a week' she frowned 'I'm sorry I didn't realise I was supposed to have sex with you on a schedule…even when I didn't want to' she told him and she shifted in her seat slightly. She pulled her hair out from behind her ear, letting it hang down so he couldn't see her face.

'I'm worried about you, Lauren that's all'

'More worried about not getting laid more like' she snapped at him. 'Look there's a layby' she pointed ahead of them 'why don't you pull in over there and we can fuck, then maybe once that's over with we can go to the bar?' she snapped at him angrily.

Joey sighed, this wasn't usual Lauren behaviour. Sure she got a little cranky when her period was due but nothing like this, and he knew that her period wasn't due for another two weeks. Whatever was bothering Lauren was obviously something she didn't want to talk about…not with him anyway. 'Are you having second thoughts about the wedding?' he asked her 'because we can postpone' he told her.

Lauren frowned 'what?' she turned to glare at him 'you've leapt from me not wanting to have sex with you, to me not wanting to marry you?'

'That's not what I said' Joey replied shaking his head 'I meant if the pressure of the upcoming wedding and working on the bar is too much then we postpone the wedding for a few months' he explained to her. 'I'm sure mum and Lucy won't mind putting everything on hold for a while' he said.

'If _you_ want to postpone the wedding that's up to you' she replied frostily and returned to staring out of the window 'sounds to me that _you're_ the one looking for a reason to call it off'

Joey mentally kicked himself, he wasn't going to be able to say anything right at this point. 'I don't want to call the wedding off, or postpone it' he told her 'I just thought…I'm only trying to help' he said to her 'since you won't tell me what's bothering you…'

'The only think bothering me right now is you' she replied coldly. The rest of the drive to the bar was in uncomfortable silence. When Joey pulled up outside the bar, Lauren climbed out and slammed the door harder than she needed to.

'Well done, Joey' he muttered to himself as he climbed out and locked the car.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett looked up at Joey as he entered the bar, he raised his eyebrows at Joey and nodded his head towards Lauren, silently questioning what was wrong with her. Joey shook his head.

'So where at we at?' Joey asked him.

'Okay, I'll show you what we've done while you've been away' he said and glanced at Lauren. 'Do you want to come?' he asked her.

'No, I want to map out the wall behind the bar' she said to him.

'Okay, holler if you need us' he replied. Lauren didn't reply as he and Joey left the room. Lauren walked to the large wall that would stand behind the bar and opened her sketchpad to the page she wanted, next she pulled the box of coloured chalk out of her bag and she started to draw. She didn't hear Brett and Joey come back into the room, both of them stared at the design she was currently putting on the wall. 'That looks great, Lauren' Brett said to her. She yelped in surprise, dropping the sketchpad and breaking a chalk stick in half as she jumped out of her skin. 'Sorry…I didn't mean to startle you' Brett said apologetically. Lauren looked at them both, her eyes lingering on Joey longer than she needed to and then she looked away.

'I get caught up in my own world when I'm drawing' she said to Brett. She turned and looked at the wall.

'It looks good' he told her.

Lauren blinked at it 'I thought about getting some coloured mirror tiles and having them put up…it'll mean extra work and someone skilled with cutting tiles…it'll be like a mosaic' she said to him. 'Do you think it'll work?' she asked him.

'Yeah, I don't see why not' he told her. Joey walked round to stand beside her, bending down to pick up her sketchpad. 'Joey?' he looked at his friend. Joey handed Lauren the sketchpad.

'I think it's going to look great' he replied 'I can't wait to see it finished'

Lauren licked her lips as she looked at the wall 'It might look shitty' she replied.

'I doubt that' Joey told her, putting his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze, he felt her stiffen and he let her go quickly. 'Are you going to be okay here? Brett and I need to go out and pick up some things' he said to her.

'Is there anyone else here?' she asked him.

'Nope, Scott's due in half an hour though' Brett said.

'What things do you need to get, isn't everything here?' she turned and glanced around the bar. 'Can't Scott go with you when he gets here' she looked at Brett. Joey frowned at her reaction. She couldn't get away from him fast enough when they got here and she hadn't spoken to him for half the drive here…now she didn't want him to leave. He licked his lips.

'Like Brett said, Scott is only going to be half an hour and the sooner we go the sooner we'll be back' he told her 'Once you get back into your drawing you won't even notice we're gone' he told her 'besides I think maybe we could use a little space, don't you?' he added softly. Lauren blinked at him, feeling hurt that he needed space from her. But then again if he wanted to postpone the wedding she guessed that would make sense. She swallowed and nodded her head.

'Okay' she whispered quietly, turning her back on them both so they couldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall.

'We won't be long' Brett frowned at Joey. Joey just shook his head. 'Why don't I wait for you outside?' he said to Joey.

'There's no need' Joey said and walked out. Brett was torn between staying with Lauren and making sure she was okay and going after Joey. Obviously there was something going on between the two of them.

'I have my mobile…' he said to her 'if you need anything'

'I'll be fine' she replied 'Can you lock me in?' she asked him.

Brett frowned at her request 'of course. Scott has a key' he said 'well, we'll see you in a bit' he said as he left. Joey watched as Brett locked the door and then walked over to the car and got in. 'She asked me to lock her in' he replied off Joey's look.

Five minutes into the drive he got a text from his mum _"What's going on? Lauren's just cancelled the wedding arrangements. CALL ME love mum x"_

'Shit!' Joey frowned, banging his fist on the dashboard.

 **ANL: Thanks for all your reviews for this story I am glad that you like it! Dont forget to leave me a review**


	147. Chapter 147

**One Hundred and Forty Six**

'Problem?' Brett asked him.

'Yes. No…probably' Joey replied 'I don't know' he added afterwards, he sent a quick text to his mum, telling her to hang fire on cancelling anything and that he'd call her later tonight.

'Thanks, that was helpful' Brett said to him. 'So what's up with you and Lauren?'

'Honest answer?' Joey glanced at him. Brett nodded his head 'I haven't got a clue' Joey said 'I tried to talk to her about it this morning and she insists everything is fine and then I end up putting my foot in my mouth at least three times and now we're fighting'

'About what?'

'Fucked if I know' Joey replied with a sigh. 'All I know is that there's something bothering her and she doesn't want to talk to me about it. I thought maybe it was the wedding and I suggested we postpone it and now I get a text from mum telling me that Lauren's told her to cancel everything'

'You think she's having cold feet?' Brett asked.

'Maybe, I don't know' he said shaking his head.

'Are you having cold feet?' Brett asked.

'No, of course not' Joey glared at him.

'Do you want me to talk to her?' Brett suggested 'maybe she'll tell me what's bothering her'

'Why would she tell you?' Joey frowned at him 'I'm the one she's supposed to be able to talk to. To confide in. If she feels she can't do that then maybe she's right to cancel the wedding' he said 'to be honest mate, I don't really want to talk about this with you right now'

'Okay, you know where I am if you change your mind' he said to him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When the boys got back to the bar, the door was open and Scott's car was in the car park. Brett parked as close to the door as he could get and the two of them got out of the car. Joey grabbed the first two tubs of paint and carried them down the stairs. He was surprised to find Lauren wasn't there. 'Scott?' he called out. A few moments later Scott appeared.

'You bellowed?' he looked at Joey expectantly.

'Where's Lauren?' he asked him.

'She's gone across the street to get some coffees and grub' he replied 'only been gone five minutes'

Joey nodded his head 'thanks' he put the paint down on the makeshift table as Brett came down with some more, Joey brought another two tubs down and made his way back up the stairs. He grabbed the box of sample tiles he'd picked up and he was about to carry them inside when he spotted Lauren crossing the road. Brett came back outside and spotted her too and he turned round and disappeared inside again, deciding the two of them needed to talk. 'Hey' Joey said as she got closer. 'You got coffee and food?'

'I was hungry' she replied shortly.

'I'm not surprised… you barely ate a mouthful of breakfast' he said as Lauren put the items she was carrying down in the boot of the car. She pulled a cup out of the holder and handed it to him. 'Is this for me?' he asked her.

Lauren nodded 'yes' she said 'I got you a bacon roll too…extra tommy k'

'I knew there was reason why I love you' he teased her. She gave him a small smile.

'I'll take these inside' she said picking the coffee and bag up again.

'Is there anything you want to talk about?' he asked her 'anything at all? Something that you think I won't like to hear?' Lauren looked up at him and shook her head. 'Nothing?' he pressed she frowned and shook her head again. 'Mum text me. She said you told her to cancel the wedding'

'I thought that was what you wanted' she said to him. Joey looked at her and he could see that she meant what she said. He frowned at her wondering briefly if he'd said something that she'd misunderstood but he kept coming up blank.

'I never said I wanted to cancel the wedding' he told her softly 'I don't want that… I want to marry you. I only suggested we postpone it if everything was getting on top of you…if you needed some time to just…breathe…you've had new ideas for the bar…you've been working on them for days, up early.. going to bed late…' he looked at her 'I'm worried that you're going to burn yourself out'

Lauren looked up at him 'I'm not. I'm fine' she said.

'We both know you're not fine' Joey said to her 'and if you don't want to talk to me about what's bothering you then I can't make you, but it hurts to know that you feel as though you can't talk to me about it' he said to her.

Lauren closed her eyes 'It's nothing, Joey. I swear. It's silly. I just…maybe I am working too hard on the designs, I haven't been getting much sleep. I'm just tired and cranky, that's all…I'm sure if I get a good night's sleep I'll be better' she told him, almost pleadingly.

'How about we have an early night tonight?' he asked her 'and no before you say anything that wasn't me telling you I want sex. We could both use a good night's sleep' he said to her. 'We can watch a DVD in bed, snuggle?'

Lauren smiled, nodding her head 'I'd like that' she told him.

'Yeah?' Joey smiled at her. 'Then it's a date' he told her. 'And I can text mum back and tell her the wedding arrangements can carry on as planned?' he questioned her. Lauren simply nodded her head in reply.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Once Lauren had handed the coffees and bacon rolls out she looked at the wall, tilting her head to one side and then the other.

'Tell her it looks amazing' Scott said to Brett and Joey.

'It does' Brett said 'Joey even picked up a little something special at the DIY store' he told her.

Lauren turned to look at him 'you did?' she asked him.

'Yep' he shot an annoyed look at Brett 'you said you wanted some metallic mirror tiles' Joey said, turning and putting his coffee down and he picked up the large box he'd carried in from the car. 'So I thought you might like these' he said and he pulled the lid off the box and Lauren peered inside. There were small squares of metallic mirror tiles. 'This is what you had in mind right?' he asked her 'or did you mean bigger ones?' he frowned, second guessing himself now, worried he was about to upset her all over again. Lauren shook her head.

'Joey, these are perfect' she told him 'exactly what I wanted'

Joey smiled, at least he'd done something right today. 'Good, I'll pick up the other boxes tomorrow'

Lauren smiled at him, the first genuine smile she'd given him for a few days. 'Thank you' she said softly.

 **AN: I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I have been so busy…I haven't forgotten about this story or the others that I am writing I swear!**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter…there will be another one…maybe another couple!**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	148. Chapter 148

**One Hundred and Forty seven.**

When they got home, Lauren went to have a shower, Joey thought about suggesting they save water and shower together, but after recalling the conversation this morning he thought better of it. Instead he went into the kitchen and looked at what they could have for dinner. He decided on making a stir fry and started to gather all the ingredients together.

Lauren came out of the bedroom, dressed in her pyjama shorts and one of Joey's t-shirts. The smell of the food cooking made her stomach rumble. She walked through to the kitchen and peered into the wok. 'Chicken?' she asked him.

'Of course, it's your favourite' he nodded his head. 'It'll be ready in about ten minutes' he said 'do you want to eat in here or in the lounge?' he asked her.

'I'll set the table' she replied.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Despite being hungry and the food making her stomach rumble, Lauren felt a little nauseous. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to keep the food down once she'd eaten it. She felt bad because Joey was obviously making her favourite stir fry, she knew he preferred beef and noodles, whereas she preferred chicken and rice. He watched her pushing the food around her plate, hers was still almost full whilst his was nearly empty. She took a deep breath and pushed her plate away from her, 'I'm really sorry' she whispered softly. 'This looks and smells great…I just…don't seem to have any appetite' she told him.

'It's okay, I can fix you something else?' he asked her.

'Maybe later' she replied. She licked her lips and stood up 'you might be right, maybe I am coming down with something' she told him 'I know we had a date planned, but I think I'm just going to go to bed, try to get some sleep…maybe I'll feel better in the morning…'

Joey nodded his head, clearly he wasn't going to find out what was bothering her tonight, not when she was in avoidance mode. 'Okay, I'll come and check on you in a bit' he told her 'if you're still awake you might be hungry' he said as she stood up.

'Okay, thanks…night' she said and she walked out of the room without even giving him a goodnight kiss. Joey sighed, he was really at a loss here. He didn't know what to do or say, all he knew was that things clearly weren't right.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren lay awake in the bed, she was so tired but she couldn't stop thinking about the dream she'd had, she wondered if it served as some sort of omen of bad things to come. She tried to shake off the feeling but she couldn't. She felt tears fill her eyes and she rolled over in bed, gathering her pillow close and crying silently into it.

When Joey came to check on her an hour later she was asleep, he could see the tear stains on her face and he felt as though his heart was breaking, she'd obviously cried herself to sleep over something…something she refused to talk to him about. He hadn't lied earlier when he'd told her he was hurt that she felt she couldn't confide in him about it. She'd brushed it off saying she was just being silly and she was tired. He wondered about what she was hiding from him, something she would get this upset about. Maybe it was the wedding, maybe she'd changed her mind about it. Maybe it was the business…what if she didn't want to open and run the bar with him. He frowned as he thought about it. He didn't want to run the bar without her. His heart wouldn't be in it. Were they breaking up? If they were he didn't know the reason why. Maybe she'd changed her mind about him. His blood ran cold as he thought about that. What could've possibly changed in a week…or maybe it was something that had been building for longer than that. He sighed as he started to undress. He pulled on his pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt, pulling back the covers on the bed and he climbing in. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but now his mind was whirring away…after half an hour he sat up. Maybe she was pregnant and too afraid to tell him, they'd talked about children but had both decided to wait for a few years before they took that step in their relationship. If she was pregnant, was she upset because she was, or was she afraid to tell him because she was worried about his reaction or was it because she didn't want to have the baby? He knew he wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight…not now. He got up and climbed out of bed. He walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He made himself a coffee and walked over to the window and sat down on the ledge, lost in his thoughts and worries.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren jolted awake…she'd been having the dream again…she glanced over to see if she'd woken Joey but discovered his side of the bed was empty. Climbing out of bed she went into the kitchen. Not bothering with the lights she made herself a hot chocolate and then carried it through the darkness to the lounge and she climbed onto the sofa, putting her cup onto the coffee table. Lauren leant forward and ran her fingers through her hair, she couldn't shake the dream she'd had. 'You couldn't sleep either?' she heard a voice from the other side of the room, she jumped in her seat and looked up to see Joey's outline by the window.

'No' she whispered softly.

'Do you want to talk about it?' he asked her.

'I had a bad dream is all' she replied shaking her head.

'What was it about?' he asked her getting up and walking over to the coffee table, sitting down on the edge of it in front of her.

Lauren licked her lips and looked down 'I can't really remember it now' she lied to him

Joey nodded his head, he'd got a feeling she was going to say that. 'Are you pregnant?' he asked her.

Lauren's head shot up to look at him 'What? No! Of course not' she replied surprised.

'Because I've been sitting up thinking if you were pregnant, maybe you were too scared to tell me, because we've talked about it and decided starting a family is something we both want to do but in a few years from now. Then I thought that maybe you were pregnant but you didn't want to have the baby…'

'I'm not pregnant, Joey' she told him firmly.

'Then I don't get it' he said to her 'I thought we were happy' he told her 'we're getting married, opening a bar together…I mean that is still what you want? Isn't it?' he asked her. 'Or have you changed your mind about that? About me?' he looked at her, 'I've been sitting here thinking, racking my brains to try and figure out if I've done or said something wrong…and I can't think of anything…so all I'm left with is that maybe the life we planned out together isn't something you want any more…so does that mean we're breaking up?' he asked her. 'Are you cheating on me?' Joey heard Lauren's exhalation of breath as he said those words to her.

 **AN; Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter! And everyone who said they missed my writing! You are all so nice! Here is another chapter for you all. Don't forget to know what you all think of this chapter!**


	149. Chapter 149

**One Hundred and Forty-eight**

Lauren blinked at him, hot angry tears filling her eyes 'I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me that' she told him angrily.

'What do you expect me to think?' he asked her

'Not that' she frowned at him, feeling hurt he would be even considering she was cheating on him. 'Have I ever given you any reason to think that I'm cheating on you?' she asked him.

'Well if you won't talk to me, you can't blame me for thinking the worst' he replied a little snappishly. He closed his eyes and sighed, reaching forward to take her hands in his. 'We both know you remember the dream vividly' he told her 'what I don't understand is why you won't tell me about it' he said 'maybe I can help take your mind off it?'

'I don't want to talk about it' she shook her head as the tears rolled down her face 'I just want to forget about it' she whispered sadly.

'You don't trust me' he stated.

'Of course I trust you, Joey…it's silly that's all…just a stupid reoccurring nightmare that's all'

'You've had it more than once?' he asked her, she nodded her head. 'When was the first time?'

'I don't want to talk about it, Joey' she told him again, this time more assertively.

'Is this why you're not sleeping well? Because of the dreams?' she shrugged.

'I guess' she replied quietly. She sighed and took her hands out of his and reached for her hot chocolate, she took a sip of it and looked up at him. 'Why can't you sleep?' she asked him.

'I've already told you, because I'm worried about you…us' he told her honestly. 'Right now I have no idea what's going on in your head. It hurts that you won't confide in me' he told her 'I'm questioning everything I thought I knew' he admitted. Lauren held the hot chocolate out to him and he shook his head, she set it back down on the coffee table.

'Such as?' she asked him.

'Do you still want me? Is opening and running the bar what you want? Do you want to marry me' he reeled off.

'If I'm cheating on you?' she added and she sat back on the sofa, pulling her legs up underneath her 'I'm not. For the record'

Joey closed his eyes and nodded his head 'I know' he whispered 'I know that' he sighed and he got up and sat down beside her. 'It's just…we've never gone this long without sex before, not unless you're on your period, which you're not…did I do something wrong the last time? Did I hurt you?' he asked her.

Lauren shook her head. 'No, don't be stupid. Of course you didn't' she said softly. 'Please don't think that' she told him. Joey sighed. 'It's not you or anything that you have or haven't done, Joey. It's me…it's all me'

Joey sat up straighter 'so we are breaking up?' he asked her.

'What? NO! That's not what I'm saying' she exclaimed as Joey got up.

'Really, because that's what it sounds like from where I'm standing' he replied and he walked into the bedroom. Lauren sighed and closed her eyes, she was really screwing this up. She didn't know what to say to make things okay between them. She knew she could tell him about the dreams she'd been having but what if he thought she was a fruit cake. Would he still want to be with a crazy lady? She didn't want to go back on the pills from the Counsellor. She didn't want to see the Counsellor again. She wasn't crazy…was she? She looked up as Joey came back down the hallway. He'd got dressed and had a bag over his shoulder. 'I'm going to go and stay with Brett' he told her 'Maybe you can use this time to think about what it is you want, because right now I don't think that it's me' he told her. He'd unlocked the door and walked out of the flat before she could say anything. She leapt up off the sofa and raced after him in her bare feet.

'Joey! JOEY!' she called after him, but he was already in the car and had started the engine, she ran round to the driver's side and opened the door 'Joey, please don't do this. Don't go' she begged him. 'I love you…please' tears were streaming freely down her face and it was breaking Joey's heart to do this but he knew he had to.

'I'm sorry, babe. I have to go' he told her 'let go of the door and go inside'

'Joey please, don't go…' she pleaded with him 'I'm sorry…please…'

Joey closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he looked at her, reaching out and prising her hands off the car door, shoving her away. He slammed the door shut and reversed off the drive. He straightened up the car once he was on the road and despite telling himself not to he glanced over at Lauren and saw her in a crumpled heap on the floor, crying brokenly. It took every single solitary ounce of willpower that he had to put the car in gear and drive away from her…but he did it.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The next morning Brett was surprised to find the bar already open and Joey's car outside. He went inside expecting to see them both working on the bar, but was surprised to see Joey asleep on the floor. 'Joey? Mate?' he said, walking over to him and shaking him gently. Joey stirred and opened his eyes.

'Brett? What are you doing here?' he asked him in confusion.

'I work here' he replied 'did you sleep here last night?' he asked.

'What time is it?' Joey asked sitting up, he felt his back protesting painfully at the movement and he groaned.

'9:00am' he said to him. 'What's going on, Joey?'

'I don't know' he said with a sigh, running his hands over his face with a sigh 'I think Lauren and I might be breaking up' he shifted slightly and a bottle fell to the floor. Brett glanced down at it, seeing it was a half-bottle of scotch.

'What? Why? What happened?' Brett frowned, he hadn't seen this coming. From what he'd seen of the two of them they were clearly in love, besotted with each other, of course he has sensed a little tension between them yesterday, but he didn't understand what could've happened between the two of them, seemingly overnight, which led Joey to resort to drinking himself senseless and sleeping in the bar. Brett sighed and he pulled out his phone and dialled a number. Joey listened to the one-sided conversation and frowned.

'You didn't need to do that' he told him

'Yes I did. You stink of booze. The taxi is going to take you to mine so you can get yourself cleaned up and then you can either take a nap, go see Lauren or come back here. It's up to you' he told him.

'My car is right outside' Joey protested.

'You are not driving the car with the amount of alcohol I can smell on your breath' Brett said firmly. 'The taxi is going to be in here ten minutes' he told him, before Joey could protest, Brett's phone rang in his hand, he looked down at it and saw it was Lauren calling him. He looked at Joey as he answered the call 'Lauren?...Yes he's at mine' he said to her softly 'sweetheart, calm down, I can barely hear you…' Joey looked away feeling guilty for his actions last night, trying to drown out the conversation. When the call ended, some minutes later, Brett pushed the phone into his pocket. 'Well, it doesn't sound as though Lauren wants to end your relationship' he told him 'she's in tears, Joey. She wanted to make sure you were alright since you haven't answered any of her calls or texts…' he said 'she's been worried sick about you all night'

'Then I guess she knows what it feels like now, doesn't she?' Joey retorted. A car horn sounded outside and Brett pulled Joey to his feet and grabbed his bag.

'Go get yourself cleaned up' he told him firmly, shoving the bag against his friends chest. Joey looked at him and nodded his head, walking out of the bar.

 **AN: As promised yesterday,,,Here is another chapter for you. Let me know what you think?**


	150. Chapter 150

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty-nine**

Brett sighed, running his hand over his face. He needed a coffee, he headed over to the café across the street and walked back into the bar ten minutes later. He looked at the picture behind the bar and picked up the box of tiles. He walked over to the wall and the toe of his shoe kicked something across the floor. Glancing down he saw it was Lauren's sketchpad. He stopped down to pick it up, wanting to see her idea in colour rather than the sketch on the wall. He flicked through the first couple off pages, smiling when he saw the rough sketches off how the bar should look, sketches that had become the final plans he and the boys were currently working off. She really was a pretty talented girl. He found the picture he wanted and saw she's taken the time to get some shiny paper and had cut it into tiny squares and stuck in on her design. He glanced briefly at her rough notes she'd made and he held the picture up against the wall. Lauren really had a good eye for detail and design. If she wanted to get a job doing Interior Design she'd get it hands down. Maybe she should start up her own company as a side line. He'd mention it to her or Joey…he frowned, wondering what it was the two of them were fighting about, that was so unlike them, sure he knew all couples had fights, he and Amanda had had some pretty huge ones, but Lauren and Joey always seemed to be so loved up.

He carried his coffee to the crates they used as chairs and tables and sat down, putting the sketchpad in front of him and looking back at the picture, he flicked through the rest of the pages, smiling when he saw pictures of Popoki and Joey. He raised his coffee cup to his lips as he turned the page and it stopped halfway to his mouth as he saw the drawing on the page. His coffee cup was placed on the table as he flipped through the pages of the book. Each page showed a new horror, he had a feeling that the images on the page were nothing like seeing them with your own two eyes. Brett knew that Lauren had gone after Joey when the tsunami hit but he had no idea just how much she'd seen when she was out there, he had a feeling Joey didn't either. He had no idea how Lauren was walking around with all that in her head and still being able to fully function. He heard a gasp from the doorway and he looked up and saw Lauren standing there.

'What are you doing? That's private!' she snapped at him and she practically ran across the room to snatch the sketchpad away from him 'how dare you look through it!' she snapped angrily.

'I'm sorry, I found it on the floor, I was just looking at the picture of the wall…'Brett apologised 'and then I couldn't stop myself from looking through your drawings' he said truthfully. He looked up at her and he could see how pale and tired she looked. Her eyes were slightly puffy, which he knew meant she'd been crying. 'I'm really sorry' he told her 'I didn't mean to upset you' he told her. He licked his lips and she took a deep breath, he saw the way she was clutching the sketchpad to her chest.

'Who else has seen this?' she asked him worriedly.

'No one, just me' he said to her. 'Joey's not here, he's gone back to mine to clean himself up, he told me you two were breaking up, drowned his sorrows in a half bottle of scotch' he told her. 'He wasn't really all that talkative this morning truth be told' he said 'but I have a feeling that maybe there's more going than he knows about' he looked at her expectantly 'maybe something to do with the things you've drawn in that little book of yours' he stated. 'Those drawings are pretty recent so I'm guessing somethings happened to bring this back into the forefront of your mind again?' he asked her.

Lauren licked her lips 'I'm not talking about this with you' she shook her head.

'Are you talking to someone about it? If you're not going to talk to me and we both know you're not talking to Joey…you need to talk to someone' he said softly.

'I'm not crazy' Lauren said shaking her head almost violently.

'I never said you were sweetheart' Brett said softly. He stood up and walked over to her, he managed to take the book away from her and put it down on the crates 'I don't think you're crazy, do you?' he asked her.

'I don't know' she whispered, he could see the fear in her eyes 'maybe…'

'Why don't you come and sit down?' he asked her 'I'm sure once Joey's pulled himself together. he'll come back here. He's got to come back eventually because your car is here' he told her 'I sent him back to mine in a taxi'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey could hear Brett was talking to someone when he walked into the bar, he froze when he heard him say Lauren's name. Was he talking to her on the phone or was she here? He wasn't sure he was ready to face her yet. He heard Lauren's voice and realised she was in the bar with Brett.

'Lauren, darling, Joey's not going to think you're crazy either. He loves you. He worships the ground you walk on, he's opening a bar with you, he wants to marry you' Brett told her.

'Does he? After last night I'm not so sure. He was the one who suggested that we call off the wedding, why would he do that if he wanted to marry me?' she said to him 'why would he want to marry me, I'm a mess. I can't eat, I can't sleep…I'm scared to close my eyes in case I have the dream again…so many people died and I couldn't do anything about it, all I did was draw a bunch of stupid pictures…how did that help anyone?'

'Your pictures reunited kids with their parents'

'Not all of them' she said

'Most of them' Brett corrected. 'Darling, the tsunami wasn't your fault' he told her shaking his head. 'You know that don't you?' he asked her. She nodded her head. 'I understand that if Joey hadn't left Walford that morning without talking to you then you wouldn't have thought he was caught up in it and you wouldn't have gone out there to see if you could find him, would you, hey?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head. 'When did you start having the dreams again?' he asked her softly.

'The night Joey was released from the Police station' she said. 'When we went to bed…that's when I had the dream….it felt so real'

'It wasn't. It was just a dream' he told her.

'Joey was there lying on the sand and he was dead…' she trailed off.

'Joey's fine' Brett told her 'Stupid…but fine' he added. He heard Lauren giggle softly. 'Look…you know what I think is going on here?' he asked her.

'What?' she asked him.

'I think that something maybe happened that day that triggered some buried emotion or feeling or memory and that it that came back to you and that's why you're having the dreams' he told her 'why all you can think about is the people that died in the tsunami. Why you're suddenly remembering it all so vividly again, that and the fact that you've never actually told anyone what you saw…not really. I'm sure putting it down on paper like those drawings you've done helped a little but then you stare at them and it brings all the emotions back. I don't think you're going crazy Lauren, and neither will Joey' he told her.

'You sound pretty sure about that. You didn't see him last night' Lauren told him.

'No, but I saw him this morning and he was feeling sorry for himself. He was drunk and he looked miserable' he said 'I bet if you talked to him, told him what's going on in your head he'd understand. Maybe you could show him the pictures?' he suggested.

'What if he doesn't? What if he sees those pictures and thinks that I'm crazy and decides he doesn't want to be with me anymore?' Lauren asked Brett, Joey closed his eyes as he heard the tears in her voice 'what if he wants me to move out and never see me again…what will I do then? I love him so much…I want to marry him and have children with him…I don't want to live a life without Joey in it' her voice broke at the end of the sentence and Joey decided it was time to make his presence known.

 **AN: Thanks for all the reviews for TNT! I am so glaad you still like it and that there are so many of you still reading it ater my terribly long abscence... so hopefully my update schedule is back on track...let me know what you think of this chapter.**


	151. Chapter 151

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty.**

Joey crept out of the bar and then turned and strode back in purposefully 'Brett? You in here?' he called out as he walked towards the main bar. Lauren stiffened and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, she snatched the sketchpad off the table and headed over to the wall, keeping her back to Joey as she did so. She pretended she was looking at the wall and the sketch.

'Feel better?' Brett asked him.

'Yeah, thanks' he nodded his head 'Amanda's a great hostess' he smiled.

'She is that' Brett smiled back at him and he glanced at Lauren and then at Joey. 'Well, I should probably head back to the DIY store pick up the rest of those tiles…' he said.

'That's where I was heading' Joey said 'just came in to get my car keys' he walked to his jacket and picked it up, shaking it gently in his hand, he heard the distinct rattle of keys and he smiled. 'I knew I'd left them here. Is there anything else we need?' he asked him.

'Only tile adhesive' Brett said 'since you forget to get that last time and some paintbrushes' he added. 'Lauren, is there anything you need?' he asked her. Lauren shook her head, Brett sighed. 'Okay then that's the list' he said to Joey.

'Great, I'll be about an hour' he said and he glanced at Lauren before leaving again.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Joey returned he walked into the bar and was surprised to not see Lauren. He carried his purchases over to the corner and put them down. He could hear Brett working in another room just off the bar, another couple of trips to the car and he brought everything in. 'Brett?'

'In the office mate' he called out. Joey went to find him. 'Get everything you need?' Brett asked him.

'Yep, stacked up in the corner with the rest of the stuff' he told him. 'Where is she?''

'Who?' Brett frowned as he concentrated a bit of floor tile.

Joey rolled his eyes 'Lauren'

'Lauren?' Brett questioned as if he'd never heard the name before.

'Yes, you know, Lauren, my girlfriend?'

Brett stopped what he was doing and pretended to think for a moment 'Nope, sorry. Not ringing any bells' he said to him, he moved his attention back to the floor tile giving a satisfied grunt when it came free in his hand 'Now if you asked me where Lauren, your ex-girlfriend was then I'd probably be able to give you an answer' he told him as he stood up to face his friend.

'Ex?' Joey almost whispered.

'If that's who you're looking for I suspect she's back at the flat packing up her things' Brett told him. 'I leant her my car so…' he trailed off.

'You did what?' Joey frowned at him.

'You could've spoken to her this morning, Joey. You stayed out all night, I told you she was worried but no…you had to act like a dick and ignore her'

'She ignored me' Joey shot back.

'She was upset!' Brett raised his voice 'and anyway she wasn't the one who walked out last night, was she?' he asked him 'she wasn't the one who prised your fingers off the car door and threw you to the ground and then drove off. Is she?' Joey blinked at him 'and don't you dare stand there and tell me that you didn't hear any of what she and I were talking about. I saw the taxi drive off for about five minutes before you came in so I'm pretty damned sure you overheard some things' he said 'and you still ignored her' Brett frowned at him angrily 'She's too damned good for you' Brett told him harshly and he threw down the piece of tile he was holding in his hand 'I'm taking an early lunch' he said and walked out of the room, a few moments later Joey heard the door slam.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey went back into the main bar and looked around trying to decide what he could do that was going to keep him busy. He knew he was being childish, but Lauren hadn't talked to him about what was bothering her, she'd talked to Brett and that kind of pissed him off. If she expected him to go back there grovelling for forgiveness then she had another thing coming. She owed him an apology too. A big one. His eyes settled on a big job and he smiled to himself. At least he'd be able to focus all his attention on this project.

When Brett came back a couple of hours later, the air in the bar was a little frosty and it remained that way until Brett packed up at 5:30pm. Brett did call out a "see you tomorrow, Joey" as he left so Joey figured their friendship would be okay.

When Joey got home at 7:00pm Lauren wasn't there. Not that he'd expected her to be there waiting for him. He went into the bedroom and checked the wardrobe and her drawers and saw her things were still there, not that he'd know if she'd taken some of them and left. He went into the bathroom to have a shower.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

As the hours passed and it grew later and later, Joey began to get worried. He grabbed his mobile off the coffee table and looked at it. She hadn't called or texted him…he didn't want to be the first one to make contact. But he was worried…really worried. He didn't want to phone Max and Tanya to see if she was there because if she wasn't then they would start to worry too. He sighed and scrolled through to her number and was about to press dial when he heard a car pull up outside. Rushing to the window he saw Brett and Amanda in the car and watched as Lauren got out of the back. The relief flooded over him and he let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, all the tension left his body now that she was home safely. The next thing he heard was her key in the door and then she was inside the flat. She looked up at him, as if she was surprised to see him there and the happiness that had been on her face moments before disappeared. She closed the door and locked it, heading towards the bedroom without a word or a glance in Joey's direction. He could hear her moving around in the bedroom and a few moments later she appeared with some pillows, sheets and blanket, she walked over to the sofa and dropped them down on it. Joey frowned, she was kicking him out of the bedroom? She left the room again and he sighed dejectedly, this wasn't how he wanted things to go. She returned again and slid the engagement ring off her finger and dropped it onto the coffee table, it clattered ominously as it hit the surface. The next thing he was aware of was the bedroom door shutting quietly.

 **AN I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I havent forgotten about this story.. or all of you who are reading it! I am so sorry!**


	152. Chapter 152

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty- One**

Joey sat on the sofa, twirling the ring around in his fingers, he knew he was unlikely to get any sleep tonight, he wondered if Lauren was. He thought about what he'd overheard at the bar, he wasn't sure what to make of it. He knew Lauren wasn't crazy, but he didn't understand what had happened to trigger the dreams after such a long period of time. He'd tried to get her to talk about what she'd seen in more details than she initially gave him but she'd always refused, telling him it was in the past and she wanted to concentrate on the future and he'd let her brush it away. He should've made her talk about it with him, he should have tried harder than he did. He got up and walked towards the bedroom, his hand hovering over the door handle. Part of him was afraid to go inside, but he did. His hand turned the door handle gently and he pushed the door open. Lauren had left the lamp on the bedside table on, so the room was light enough for him to see her. She was lying on her side facing the door, Popoki was curled up against her stomach. Lauren was asleep. He saw a pill bottle on the nightstand and he tiptoed into the room, picking up the bottle carefully, reading the label. These were the same pills she'd told him she was taking when they'd finally got round to talking to each other after they bumped into each other in the bank. She was taking sleeping pills again. He reached out and brushed his knuckles across her cheek in a fleeting caress before putting the bottle back where he'd got it from and leaving the room just as silently as he came in.

He walked to the kitchen, grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote a note for her to find when she woke up.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The next morning Brett got to the bar and once again was surprised to find it open. Walking inside he half expected to find Joey asleep and drunk again, but he was surprised to see him up and working. 'You been here long?' Brett asked him.

'All night' Joey said turning to look over his shoulder at him. 'What time is it?'

'9:00am' Brett replied glancing at his watch, 'and what do you mean you've been here all night? You and Lauren talked?'

'No, she wasn't there when I got home because she was out with you and Amanda and you didn't bring her back until 11:30pm, soon after she went to bed' he said 'I couldn't sleep so I came here and worked on this' he told him 'I wanted to get it finished'

Brett looked at the project he was working on and he smiled 'It's looking good'

'It's looking perfect' he said 'I would never have thought about doing this in a million years' Joey said 'Lauren's clearly the brains and the beauty of this outfit' he replied. 'I can't wait for her to see it'

'And how are you going to do that exactly when the two of you aren't talking?' he asked him.

'I'm still working that bit out' Joey frowned at him.

'You could start off with an apology and some flowers or chocolate, you know the kind of thing that girls like' Brett said rolling his eyes. 'I'm heading out to get a coffee and a bagel, want one?'

'Please mate' Joey nodded his head.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren woke up and stretched, almost dislodging Popoki who was still in the same position she was in when she went to sleep. Sleep, Lauren thought, she'd actually been to sleep and she hadn't had the dream. She felt better, still tired mind you, but better than she'd felt yesterday and the day before that. She climbed out of bed, stroking Popoki as she did so and headed to the bathroom. She took a long leisurely shower and wrapped herself in a towel before heading into the kitchen to make some breakfast. She glanced over at the sofa and saw the bed linen she'd left there last night hadn't been used. She forced herself to look away and made some coffee and some toast. She took her breakfast into the bedroom and she sat down on the bed. She wasn't going to go into the bar today, she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do now. She'd invested a lot of money into the bar and the plan was that she and Joey would work there for a while, until they were established and earning money and then they could hire bar staff, but now she wasn't so sure she wanted to see Joey every day. She could be a silent partner, just taking her fair share of the profits each month. She thought about where she was going to live. She really didn't want to move back in with her parents, she supposed she could take some of the money she'd put aside to invest in the bar to find herself a one bedroom flat somewhere. She decided she'd get dressed and head into town to look at local estate agents, see how much rent would be. Finishing her breakfast, she got dressed and put on some makeup, tied her hair into a French braid and went back into the kitchen. She fed Popoki and grabbed her purse and keys and before heading out. She didn't see the note addressed to her on the kitchen table.

 **AN: Here's a second chapter for today...**


	153. Chapter 153

**One Hundred and Fifty-Two**

'She's late!' Joey exclaimed grabbing Brett's wrist and looking at the time again.

'Maybe she's not coming' Brett offered unhelpfully. Joey glared at him 'what time did you tell her to be here for?'

'1:00pm' Joey said 'it's quarter past now' he frowned.

'Well, maybe she doesn't like being summoned' Brett said folding his arms over his chest. 'I'm starving, I'm going over to the chippy, are you coming?' he asked him.

Joey shook his head 'no, she might be running late' he said.

'Odds are she's not coming…but if you're sure' Brett said with a sigh 'I'll see you in an hour' he told him and left Joey alone.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren got back to the flat and she was exhausted, she'd stopped off at the Citizens advice bureau and asked them about the situation she was in with Joey and the bar. She was now happier than ever that Joey had the foresight to draw up a contract between then stating they were in partnership together. It would make things easier now that they were in the situation they were in. She'd seen a couple of flats she liked and she'd booked viewings for tomorrow afternoon. She dropped her keys onto the kitchen table and saw the note. She slid it closer to her and read it.

 _"Lauren,_

 _I know I've made a mess of things between us, although I'm not sure exactly what it was that I did wrong - I know it was me that made the mistake and for that I'm very sorry. I'm not the only one who's made mistakes though... you have too. It hurts to know you don't feel you can talk to me about whatever is bothering you. I thought we could talk to each other about anything? There was a time when we could and would... it feels different now and I don't like it. It kills me that you've given me back your engagement ring. Does this really mean it's over? That's not what I want... I want you... I always have done and I always will. Is there a way we can sort this out? Please say there is. Meet me at the bar at 1pm today and we can talk things through._

 _I hope I see you there._

 _I love you._

 _Joey xx"_

Lauren reread the note a couple of times and she looked at her watch, it was almost 2:00pm. Joey had apologised…sort of, but he'd also accused her of being to blame too…which she guessed she was…partly, but that didn't mean she was going to go running to him when he asked her to. She was hungry and she decided she was going to have something to eat and then maybe…but only maybe she would go and see Joey.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

At 2:30pm, Joey realised she wasn't coming. He guessed that answered his question about things really being over between them. He sighed and looked down at the plans and decided what he was going to do next…he decided to go and work in the bathrooms.

Brett felt sorry for his mate, but, truth be told, Joey had brought it on himself. He didn't blame Lauren for not showing up, he knew it was going to take more than a hastily scribbled note to get her to meet Joey halfway. He decided he'd let Joey work on his own in the bathroom and he went back into the office.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren walked into the bar at 3:30pm, she could hear people working in rooms leading off the bar, but what had caught her attention was the mirrored tile design that was going to sit behind the metallic bar. The finished piece took her breath away. Every single thing about it was perfect, she went nearer to get a closer look. Whoever had done this had taken their time, they'd been careful and had done it perfectly. Her drawing had become a reality and even though on paper it looked good, she hadn't actually thought it would look okay on the wall, but it did. She loved it. It was even better than she could possibly have imagined it to be.

'Do you like it?' she heard a voice behind her and she nodded her head, she was too emotional to even speak right now. 'I worked on it all night' he told her. 'I wanted it to be finished when you came in so you could see just how incredible it looks, how talented you are' the voice was getting closer to her and she knew he was walking towards her. 'It's going to look even better when the area around it is fitted and the bar's in place, it's going to be the feature of the whole place' he was standing beside her now.

'It looks amazing. I love it' she whispered softly 'you've done a brilliant job…'

'All I did was stick mirrored tiles to the wall. You did the rest' he told her honestly. He licked his lips. 'I guess… this is my apology for being a dick' he told her. 'Can we go somewhere to talk?' he asked her.

'Where?' she asked him.

'Neutral ground. There's a pub just round the corner from here or we could go for a walk?'

'The pub sounds good' Lauren nodded her head.

'I'll tell Brett I'm packing it in for the night then' he said and he went in search of him before she could answer. Lauren turned back to the wall and gazed at it. She was stunned, this was a pretty impressive apology.

The two of them left as soon as Joey got back, the walk to the pub was filled with an awkward and uncomfortable silence, a silence Joey hated. He really wanted to take her hand but was worried about what her reaction would be. Deciding he needed to man up and deal with it, he closed the gap between then and slipped his hand into hers. He took the fact that Lauren didn't pull her hand away as a good sign.

Once they were in the pub, Lauren went to find a seat as Joey went to the bar to get a drink. Lauren picked a quiet seat in the corner, the pub wasn't all that busy but she didn't want to air her business for anyone to hear. She didn't have to wait long for Joey to return, he put the drinks down on the table and then sat down opposite her.

'So…we need to talk' he said softly. Lauren nodded her head in response. 'Why don't you start?' he suggested.

Lauren nodded her head again, licking her lips before she spoke. 'I have a couple of viewings on some flats tomorrow' she told him. 'And I've spoken to a solicitor about the bar'

Joey blinked at her in surprise, that wasn't what he'd been expecting to hear, it wasn't what he wanted to hear…maybe he should've gone first.

 **AN SO SORRY!**


	154. Chapter 154

**One Hundred and Fifty-three**

'Oh…so is that it then?' he asked her. 'Are we done?' he could feel his heart racing in his chest as he waited for her answer. 'I should've realised that when you didn't turn up at the bar when I asked you to' he said reaching out and wrapping his hand around his pint of beer, he watched as his thumb brushed over the smooth surface. He swallowed 'Do you want me to buy you out?' he asked her.

'Do you have the money?' Lauren asked him, knowing full well he didn't.

'I can ask my dad to help out, I guess' he replied 'It'd be a short time loan or a long term investment, whatever he feels happiest with' he paused 'what about the plans, the designs?' he asked her 'do you want me to pay you for them too?'

'No' Lauren shook her head, reaching for her glass of coke. She took a sip, swallowing slowly.

'When do you plan to move out?'

'I haven't even got a flat yet' she reminded him 'but I guess I could go back to mum and dads for a bit…or crash with a friend for a few nights, until I get myself settled' Joey nodded his head.

'That makes sense. You know you can stay at the flat as long as you want to' he told her 'I can sleep on the sofa…' he trailed off. He raised his head to look at her. 'Is this really what you want?' he asked her 'for us to break up… for us to be over?'

'You were the one who was dropping hints about postponing the wedding, you were the one who walked out, Joey' she replied softly.

'Because you wouldn't talk to me!' he raised his voice slightly and she frowned at him, she pushed her seat back and grabbed her bag off the back of her chair 'what are you doing?'

'I agreed to talk, not to get into a fight' she said shaking her head.

'I don't want to fight either…I'm sorry. Please…sit down' he asked her. Lauren looked at him for a few seconds and then retook her seat. Joey sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I was hurt and upset that you wouldn't talk to me' he told her. 'I'm worried about you, I was worried that the bar, everything that's been going on with Sarah, the wedding arrangements…I was concerned it was too much for you to try to take on all at once' he explained to her 'you were looking tired and you weren't eating, I thought you were at risk of making yourself ill. I didn't suggest it because I didn't want to marry you. I did…I do' he told her.

'You could have just said that instead of being all cryptic' Lauren frowned slightly.

'I know, I realise I could've handled the situation better' he admitted to her. He reached out to pick up his pint and took a long drink, collecting his thoughts before he put the glass back down on the table and looked at her. 'I'm sorry' he told her sincerely 'what can I say I'm an idiot' Lauren smiled nodding her head in agreement.

'At times' she said softly 'I'm sorry too' she told him 'for not talking to you…it wasn't because I didn't trust you…I do, you _know_ I do' she said holding his gaze for a moment before she broke it and looked down. 'It's just hard for me to talk about…'

'Before you say anything else I need to tell you something' Joey told her. Lauren looked up at him worriedly 'it's not something that I'm proud of and you're probably going to be even more pissed off at me than you are right now' he told her. Lauren felt the blood drain from her face.

'Who was she?' she asked him, not meeting his gaze so he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes. Joey blinked at her as he realised she'd taken a huge leap to the wrong conclusion.

'I didn't mean I'd slept with someone else' he told her quickly 'I didn't' he shook his head 'you thought I'd slept with someone else?' he questioned her, she could detect the hurt and disbelief in his voice.

'You didn't?' she asked him.

'No, of course I didn't' he frowned at her 'how could you think that I would?' he said angrily.

'What was I supposed to think when you start of a sentence with there's something I need to tell you?' she snapped back at him 'Jesus Christ, Joey! You don't start off a fucking sentence like that!'

Joey swallowed and nodded his head 'Sorry…I didn't realise how it would sound' he said apologetically. 'That's not what I meant' he told her. 'What I was going to say was that I overheard you and Brett talking yesterday…not all of it…'

'You eavesdropped on a private conversation?' Lauren asked him in astonishment.

'I wouldn't have had to eavesdrop if you would actually talk to me' he snapped at her.

Lauren sighed 'You know what? I'm not doing this' she shook her head and she stood up again and he watched her as she walked out of the pub.

'Fuck!' he cursed under his breath. He pushed his chair back and raced out of the pub after her.

'Lauren, wait please' he called out, but she continued to walk. He jogged up to her and he grabbed her arm turning her around to face him 'please babe' he said softly. 'I'm sorry I…' he trailed off. 'I was jealous' he admitted to her 'that you chose to talk to him and not me'

'I didn't choose to talk to him. He figured it out' Lauren replied.

'Well I guess that makes him brighter than I am' he replied sadly.

'No, it doesn't' Lauren shook her head 'his snooping skills are better than yours, that's all'

'What?' he questioned in confusion.

'He found my sketch pad, decided to have a look through it and found some pictures he shouldn't have looked at'

'Hawaii?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head.

'I thought maybe if I got some the images that were in my head down on paper it would make me feel better, but it didn't' she frowned. 'I don't know why I suddenly started dreaming about it again…'

'When did the dreams start?' he asked her. Lauren tensed up as someone walked past them. 'Why don't we go home? We can talk there' he told her.

'Okay' Lauren whispered softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey popped into the bar to tell Brett he was going home for the day. Lauren was already waiting in the car for him when he came back out. The drive home was filled with silence. He pulled up on the drive and Lauren got out of the car first and walked towards the door. There was a large box on the doorstep addressed to her. She unlocked the door and was about to pick it up when Joey bent down and got it for her. He carried it inside the flat, kicking the door shut with his foot and put the box on the kitchen table. 'Expecting a parcel?' he asked her.

'No' she shook her head.

'Maybe you should open it… see what it is?' he suggested.

'Later' she replied shrugging off her coat and draping over the back of the chair. Joey nodded and followed her into the lounge. The bed linen she'd brought out the night before was still on the sofa. Joey picked it up and dropped it onto the floor and he sat down, looking at Lauren expectantly.


	155. Chapter 155

**One Hundred and Fifty-four**

After Lauren made no attempt to talk Joey decided to try and prompt her. 'When did the dreams start?' he repeated the question from earlier.

'When you were arrested' she said to him. 'When you came home'

'Can you remember the dreams?' he asked her.

'Vividly, as though I was right back there on the beach'

'What happens?' he asked her. Lauren closed her eyes, a frown marring her features and he knew she didn't want to tell him. 'I know you've told me somethings that happened in Hawaii, I know you sugar coated a lot of it and I also know that you've never really talk to anyone about it, not in detail'

'No, I haven't' she said quietly. 'I used to have dreams…when I came back from Hawaii. I'd have dreams all the time, dreams that felt so real…' she frowned, her eyes were staring down at the coffee table.

'What happens in the dreams?' he asked her again.

'I don't see the tsunami…I can hear it coming, but I don't know what it is. Usually I'm walking along the beach going to meet you at the bar…something always distracts me, either I stand on glass or I see an unusual coloured shell and I bend down to have a look. The noise gets louder and louder and then I look up and it's over…all I see is the path of destruction the wave left in its wake' she told him. 'I see the bodies…I see the fear permanently etched onto the faces...people were terrified, they didn't know what hit them until it was too late. Men, woman, old and young, children…it didn't care...' she shook her head. 'I remember the screams of the people who'd survived…they were franticly searching for their loved ones. Their mothers, fathers, husbands and wives…even their children…' she trailed off and Joey watched twin tears roll down her cheeks. He plucked a tissue from the box on the coffee table and held it out to her, she took it and looked up at him. 'Thank you' she said softly.

'What happened to the bar?' he asked her.

'The bar's gone. So are the trees, the dunes, the hotel…everything is gone…I'm looking for you. I'm searching everywhere but I can't find you and no one seems to know who you are…and then I find you…and you're dead…' she burst into tears and Joey pulled her into a hug.

'Babe, it's just a dream. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere' he promised her, he kissed the top of her head gently 'Sshh…' he rocked her in his arms. It took twenty minutes before she'd calmed down and a few more tissues were plucked from the box during that time, Joey wiped her tears away and wiped her nose.

'I stopped sleeping because I was scared I'd have the dream again…I thought it was a bad omen…that something was going to happen to you…to us' she admitted. 'I didn't want to tell you in case you thought I was crazy…'

'I'll never think that' he told her softly 'ever' he shook his head 'you went through a really traumatic ordeal, Lauren. And there's not one day that goes by that I don't think about how I could've stopped you from having to go through that. I feel guilty for the major part I played…'

'It wasn't your fault' she said to him.

'Just like it wasn't yours. You couldn't have done anything to save those people, babe, you know that' he said, he cupped her face in his hands…'you are not crazy' he gazed into her eyes 'at times you drive me crazy….' He trailed off with a lopsided smile 'but you are definitely not crazy' he told her sincerely. 'Besides even if you were I'd still be madly in love with you'

'I doubt that' Lauren whispered.

'I know it's the truth' he replied, but knowing that he wouldn't convince her. 'So what triggered the dreams?' he asked her 'was it Sarah?' he said letting her face go.

Lauren shook her head 'No, I don't know what triggered them again. It's not as though I've been thinking about it…I try not to' she said to him.

'Did something happen that day…other than the fact that I was arrested and was in the Police station?'

'No' she shook her head again.

'What about afterwards, when I came home? Lauren frowned as she thought about it and shook her head for a third time.

'Nothing' she replied. 'I can't think of anything…everything was fine until I woke up after the nightmare' she said to him.

'Was it something I did or said?' he asked her.

'I don't know, Joey!' she snapped at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, 'I'm sorry…'

'So how long have you not been sleeping for?' he asked her

'A week. I get up and draw…work on the designs for the bar… play with Popoki' she shrugged.

'How are you actually able to function?' he frowned at her 'you haven't been eating…you went to the doctors?'

'Yep, Brett talked me into it. I told him nothing would come of it but I came away with some sleeping pills. Last night was the first full night's sleep I've had and I didn't have any dreams' she told him.

'You still look tired' Joey said, reaching out and lightly brushing her cheek with his thumb.

'I am' she nodded in agreement. 'I feel like I could sleep for a month' she admitted to him. She looked down at her hands, picking at her fingers before looking back up at Joey. 'You really don't think I'm crazy?' she asked him, in a whisper.

'Of course not' he shook his head. 'Were you worried that I would?' Lauren sniffed and nodded.

'I don't think that' he said softly. 'I promise' he looked over at the box on the kitchen table. 'You know I think you should open that' he nodded towards it. Lauren followed his gaze and she sighed and got up, with Joey following behind her. She peeled off the tape from the box easily and she pulled the two halves of the lid back. A helium filled balloon broke free of its confines and floated up from the box and then bounced. Lauren jumped and she looked up at the pink balloon and she saw "Sorry" written across it. She smiled and looked into the box again and reached inside and pulled out a vase with 30 red roses. 'I'm sorry for being a jealous, selfish, childish idiotic jerk' Joey told her softly.

Lauren put the roses down on the table 'Joey! Thank you, they're beautiful' she murmured softly.

'Nah, they're pretty. You're beautiful' Joey told her. Lauren looked up at him with a smile and a blush on her face. 'I love you, Lauren, you know that right?' he asked her 'and I want to marry you…do you want to marry me?' he asked her. He waited nervously for her answer.

'Yes' she replied nodding her head. Joey smiled and he pulled the ring out of his pocket, lifting her left hand in his and slid the ring back onto her finger.

'Then you better have this back' he said raising her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it.

 **AN:**


	156. Chapter 156

**One Hundred and Fifty five**

Joey cooked dinner for the two of them that night and refused to let Lauren help with the cleaning up too. Even though the two of them had talked there was still an underlying awkwardness between them, and the both knew it. Lauren went to take a shower and get ready for bed, when she came back Joey was watching a football match. She walked into the kitchen and put some more meat out for Popoki and then made a coffee. Joey looked up as she put a coffee down in front of him 'thanks, babe' he said with a smile.

'You're welcome' she replied, taking a seat beside him.

'Do you want to watch something else?' he asked her, leaning forward to get the remote control off the coffee table.

'This is fine' she replied with a slight shake of her head. Joey leant back and held his arm put and she snuggled into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a soft squeeze. She smiled laying her head on his chest.

An hour later and the football was over and the commentators were now dissecting the game. Lauren yawned. 'I'm going to go to bed; she told him, reaching up to kiss his cheek before climbing off the sofa.

'I'll be there in a bit, babe' he called after her as she walked down the hallway towards the bedroom.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Twenty minutes later when Joey ventured through to the bedroom, Lauren was already tucked up in bed, the book she'd been reading on the bedside table. He crept into the room as quietly as he could 'I'm not asleep' Lauren said as she heard Joey curse under his breath as the bed creaked when he sat on it. Lauren heard him undressing and then he slid into bed beside her, his arms moving around her waist, drawing her back against him. She covered his hands with hers and sighed, closing her eyes once more. Joey move forward and nuzzled her neck gently, Lauren shifted in the bed, pressing back against him and he moved his hands towards her breast as he kissed her neck. Lauren tensed as she realised what Joey's intentions were.

'Joey…I'm tired, I've taken a sleeping pill' she told him, he froze and moments later she felt him pull away from her, she glanced over her shoulder to see he'd rolled away from her and was lying on his side with his back facing her. She sighed and lay her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

Joey lay awake long after Lauren had fallen asleep, he rolled over to look at her. Even in her sleep she still looked tired, He propped himself on his elbow and he watched over her, wanting to be there if she had another nightmare.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Lauren woke up, she glanced over at Joey and saw he was asleep. She climbed out of bed and headed through to the bathroom. Joey's eyes opened the second she left the room and he climbed out of bed and walked through to the kitchen to make breakfast. He splashed some cold water on his face before he started to make scrambled eggs. Lauren was surprised to see him up and the table ready for breakfast. She smiled at him as she crossed over to him. 'This is nice' she said wrapping her arms around his waist, turning her face up to him.

'I wanted to make you breakfast' he said with a shrug 'it's no big deal' he told her.

'I'm sorry about last night' she told him, knowing it was a still an issue between them. 'I took the pill when I went to bed' she told him.

'Babe, you don't have to apologise because you didn't want sex' he told her 'I shouldn't have tried anything' he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head 'go sit down, breakfast is getting cold' he told her, effectively ending the conversation.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Over the next couple of nights, Joey watched Lauren as she slept, gradually he could see the tiredness vanish from her face, her mood improved as did her appetite which were two things Joey was pleased with. Lauren stayed at home during the day as there wasn't really much she could do at the bar at the moment as the boys were sorting out the floors in some of the other rooms. She spent her time going to the supermarket and looking at the books to make sure they were on track with the spending on the bar. She did some housework, cleaning the flat from top to bottom, when she'd finished she was shattered and too tired to cook for them both. Instead she set the table with plates, candles and some flowers she picked from the neighbours garden (that were leaning over her side and were in danger of getting flattened by Joey's car tyres and she laid out the take-away menus and waited for Joey to come home.

She heard Joey's car pull up outside the flat and she picked up Popoki, who was waiting by the front door, no doubt another escape bid in mind, Lauren opened the front door. Joey was filthy when he came in, he also smelled pretty ripe. Lauren frowned as she thought about her sparkling clean bathroom getting dirty again. She took a step away from him when he moved towards her for a kiss, her nose wrinkling in distaste. Joey sighed 'I know…I stink' he told her.

'You really do. Bathroom, get cleaned up' she told him firmly.

'Yes ma'am' Joey nodded his head and he headed off to the bathroom.

'And don't get the bathroom dirty I've cleaned it today!' she called out after him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Joey came out of the bathroom, Lauren was just serving up the pizza she'd ordered. 'You read my mind, babe' he said as he slid into the chair. He reached for the beer she'd got out for him 'Pizza and Ice cold beer? You are the best' he told her, she smiled at him.

'I try' she replied. 'Busy at the bar?' she asked him.

He nodded his head 'we've taken up the floors in the bathrooms and the office and cloakrooms' he explained.

'Wow, that's a lot of work'

'Well, all the boys were there so we just cracked on' he said reaching for a slice of pizza.

'That's good, what are you doing tomorrow?' she asked him.

'I have no idea, sanding or tiling or….Brett told us but I wasn't really paying that much attention to be honest' he admitted to her. 'So what did you do all day?' he asked her.

'This and that' she said 'Cleaned the flat from top to bottom' she told him.

'Yeah I saw how sparkly the bathroom was' he told her.

'Was?' she raised her eyebrows

'And will be again when I've cleaned it again, I'll do it after I've eaten' he promised her.

'You look shattered' she said to him

'I really am, Brett has us working like dogs' he told her softly.

'I'll clean the bathroom tomorrow. It's no big deal' she said with a smile.

'Thanks babe' he smiled at her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey could barely keep his eyes open and Lauren suggested they have an early night. Joey nodded his head and told her to go through and he'd follow shortly. He went into the kitchen and found the espresso coffee he'd brought and he made himself a cup and took it through to the bedroom.

'Coffee, Joey? Really, before bed?' Lauren scolded him.

'I just fancied some' he shrugged casually as he stripped off his clothes, down to his boxer shorts and climbed into the bed.

Joey lay awake long after Lauren did, watching over her in case she had a nightmare.

 **AN**


	157. Chapter 157

**One Hundred and Fifty-six**

Joey was the first up again the next morning and he felt awful. He was so tired he could barely drag himself out of bed, He took a cold shower in the hopes it would wake him up and then he went into the kitchen and made another double espresso. The caffeine jolt did the trick almost instantly and he started making breakfast. This time when Lauren got up she could smell pancakes cooking and her mouth watered at the aromas coming through from the kitchen.

'Twice in two days? I could get used to this' she smiled at him, walking up to him and kissing him softy. 'Morning'

'Morning' Joey smiled down at her. 'The pancakes will be another couple of minutes' he told her softly 'the coffee is fresh' he told her.

'Thanks' Lauren said as she took a seat at the table.

'How did you sleep?' he asked her, glancing over at her.

'Mmm, good, you?' she asked swallowing a mouthful of coffee.

'No dreams?' he asked, avoiding her question.

'If you mean nightmares then no' Lauren shook her head, taking another sip of coffee.

'So how long do you have to take the sleeping pills for?' Joey asked her, Lauren looked at him over the rim of her cup. She knew it was Joey's casual way of asking about sex.

'As long as I need them' she replied. 'They help me sleep and they shut my mind off' she told him.

'Oh' he nodded his head. 'Well if it means you're getting a good night's sleep with no nightmares then I guess it's a good thing'

'It Is' she nodded in agreement. 'What time will you be home tonight?' she asked him, changing the subject.

'Not sure, why?'

'I thought maybe I'd cook something nice for dinner' she said to him 'anything you fancy?'

'Surprise me' he told her with a smile. He carried the pancakes to the table and set the plate down between them 'help yourself' he told her. He returned to the kitchen to feed Popoki who had come through and was looking at Joey expectantly, touching his foot every now and again with her paw to let him know she was there and wanted food too.

'Mmm, these are delicious' Lauren moaned happily and she swallowed a mouthful. 'Perfect breakfast'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was just about to go out to the shops to get some ingredients for Joey's dinner, when her mobile rang, she pulled it out of her handbag and saw it was Brett calling. She smiled as she answered the phone.

'Hello? I know I miss you guys too' she teased him.

'Lauren' he said seriously. 'Listen, there's been an accident' he told her 'It's Joey'

'What happened? Where is he? Can I talk to him?'

'We're on the way to the hospital' Brett said

'Hospital?' Lauren exclaimed, she felt her heart hammering in her chest.

'Scott should be at yours any second to pick you up and take you there' Brett said to her

'How bad is it?'

'He's probably going to need surgery' Brett told her.

'Surgery? What the hell has he done?' Lauren began to panic.

'Scott will explain everything, sweetheart, I've got to go, we just got to the hospital' he told her as he rang off.

'Brett! Brett!' Lauren shouted into the phone, she stepped out of the house as a screeching of tyres alerted her to Scott's arrival. She ran down the drive as the passenger door was thrown open. She saw the look of terror on Scott's face and she feared the worse.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

By the time Lauren and Scott had got to the hospital she had a slightly better understanding of what had happened. Joey was cutting floor tiles with an electronic saw and had accidently managed to cut his thumb and forefinger of his left hand. Scott didn't know how bad it was as Brett had got to Joey before he had. All he knew was there was a lot of blood and Joey had passed out. Luckily Brett caught him before he did any more damage to himself. Scott had called an ambulance, whilst Brett did some basic first aid on Joey and then Brett sent Scott to get Lauren. Brett looked up as Lauren and Scott came in. Lauren couldn't taker her eyes off the blood that covered his shirt. 'The doctors are in with him now' Brett said to her.

'How bad is it?' Lauren asked him.

'His thumb was partially severed and the bone was showing on his finger' Brett told her. 'I bandaged it pretty quickly so hopefully they'll be able to save it' Brett said.

'How did this happen?' she asked him.

'I'm not really sure, Joey's been fucking up all morning' he told her 'making stupid mistakes and I thought maybe if he was given something simple to do it would be okay…turns out that was a mistake. Joey's used that machine a hundred times he knows how to use it. But he hadn't put the safety guard down, it was up and well you know the rest' he said with a frown 'I'm sorry…' he trailed off.

'It's not your fault' Lauren told him. 'Joey should've been more careful and if he felt he wasn't up to the job he shouldn't have done it' she told him with a frown. She took a seat next to Brett and waited for the doctors to come out.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

An hour and a half later a doctor appeared in front of them. 'Lauren Branning?' he asked his eyes fixed on Lauren. She nodded her head 'Joey's asking for you, I'll take you through' he told her. Lauren got up and followed him.

'How is he?' she asked him.

'Feeling more than a little sorry for himself' the doctor advised her. 'We've taken him down to x-ray to see how much damage he's done to himself and I'm surprised to say it could've been a lot worse than it is. We're going to sew his thumb and finger back up and give him a tetanus shot and he'll be good to go home in a couple of hours. He's a very lucky young man' he told her.

'Not when I've done with him he won't be' she muttered under her breath. The doctor reached the room and opened the door, ushering her inside. She looked at Joey and saw his hand was bandaged up and it made it look five times bigger than it was. It reminded her of a cartoon and she couldn't hold back the giggle that was building inside her. She clasped her hand over her mouth as she realised she was laughing out loud, both the Doctor and Joey were giving her funny looks. 'I'm sorry…it just looks so funny…the bandage' she explained to the doctor.

The doctor nodded his head 'I'll leave you two to talk' he told her 'we'll be back in a little while to fix you up' he told Joey. Joey nodded his head in thanks.

He looked at Lauren and her amusement had turned to anger. 'What the fuck Joey?' she asked him.

 **AN**


	158. Chapter 158

**One hundred and fifty-eight**

Lauren slept fitfully that night, mainly because she kept waking up to check that Joey was okay, she'd also forgone her sleeping pill, not wanting to be in such a deep sleep should Joey need her. She'd had to help him to the bathroom twice in the night and he'd propositioned her twice in a very unflattering and unsexy way, which just made her giggle. Joey, however, was a bit upset she thought his advances were funny and he told her he would keep his cock to himself for the foreseeable future and she would be sorry as Joey would have all the cock he wanted. This of course made Lauren laugh harder and caused Joey to sulk even more.

When she woke the next morning, Joey was fast asleep beside her, his injured hand over his head. She smiled and slipped carefully out of the bed and went to use the bathroom. She showered quickly, deciding not to wash her hair and she hurried back into the bedroom, relieved when she found Joey was still asleep. She quickly dressed and went into the lounge and got Joey's medication out of her bag and made some coffee and grabbed a glass of water and carried everything through to the bedroom. Joey had just woken up and he looked at Lauren groggily, he groaned in pain as he moved his hand and Lauren sat down next to him. 'How do you feel this morning?' she asked him.

'My hand is killing me, it's total agony' he frowned.

'Can you sit up?' she asked him. Joey nodded, putting both hands down on the bed to push himself up.

'Ouch! Fuck!' he cursed as pain shot through his thumb and finger.

'Careful, babe' Lauren said softly. She reached across to the bedside table and picked up the water and the pill bottle, turning back to Joey, she handed him the glass and unscrewed the bottle and tipped a couple of the pills into her hands. 'Here' she said giving them to Joey.

He swallowed the down with a grimace and handed her the water back. 'Thanks' he said to her.

'Are you hungry?' she asked him.

'Nope' he shook his head. 'Tired'

'Yeah?' she reached out and brushed her fingers over his cheek 'do you want me to shave you?' Joey shook his head. 'Alright, do you want to stay here or come into the lounge?' she asked him.

'Actually, I need to pee' he told her.

'Alright, come on then' she said getting up off the bed and throwing the covers back, Joey scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up, he was a bit wobbly so Lauren put an arm around his waist and he leant on her as she helped him to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Joey was back in bed, safely under the covers. Lauren stayed with him, sipping her coffee until he fell asleep some twenty minutes later.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was thinking about making some lunch when her mobile rang on the coffee table, she reached forward and picked it up, she saw it was Brett calling.

'Hey' she said quietly.

'Hey. I'm just checking in on Joey' Brett said.

'He's fine, he's sleeping' she replied 'he woke up a few times in the night' she said with a smile as she remembered 'the morphine really knocked him for six he was so funny' she told him.

'Oh? Now I'm intrigued' Brett said and Lauren giggled.

'He'll kill me if I told you' she told him. 'The doctor said he might act a bit funny on the morphine and it would be unlikely he would remember any of it when the morphine wore off'

'Probably best you don't tell me then' he said to her with a chuckle. She looked up at Joey stumbled into the hallway.

'Oh, I've got to go, Joey's just woken up' she said to him. 'Thanks for calling to check up on him, I'll talk to you later, Brett' she said as she hung up. She got up off the sofa and rushed over to him 'Hey, what are you doing out of bed?' she asked him.

'Thirsty' he said.

'Okay, sit on the sofa and I'll make you a cup of tea' she said 'are you hungry? I was about to make a sandwich'

'Please' he nodded as she ushered him over to the sofa. 'Who was that on the phone?' he asked her.

'Brett, he was just seeing how you were' she called back.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later the two of them were snuggled under a blanket on the sofa, a cd playing faintly in the background, Lauren was facing Joey and he was laying with his back against the sofa. 'How do you feel?' she asked him.

'Stupid' he admitted to her 'I should've known better to use the saw. I should've told Brett I was tired'

'Yes, you should've' Lauren told him with a frown 'because this could've been a whole lot worse than it is' she said carefully touching the wrist of his left hand. 'Lucky for us we have people helping us with the bar' she said.

'I know' he nodded his head 'I'm sorry I worried you'

'Worried me…I was panicked when I got the phone-call from Brett telling me you were on the way to the hospital' frowned him 'even more worried when they told me you passed out'

'Well there was a lot of blood and my thumb was literally just hanging there' he said, he paled as he thought about it.

'It's a good job they could sew it back on' Lauren said to him 'next time maybe you'll be a little bit more careful? Mmm?' she looked up at him and he nodded his head.

'Cross my heart' he said to her 'I am not going to be so stupid again'

'Glad to hear it' Lauren said moving forward to kiss him softly. 'I need you in one piece, okay?'

'Okay' he whispered against her lips. 'So…did I do or say anything last night?' he asked her.

'Such as?' Lauren said straight faced.

'I don't know...I just have a feeling that I need to apologise' he looked at her.

Lauren shook her head 'you don't need to do that. It was kind of funny' she said with a smile. 'The morphine made you pretty horny' she told him. 'Sadly your seduction skills left a lot to be desired, thus making it fairly easy for me to turn down your advances'

'Oh god, what did I do? What did I say?' he looked at her feeling pained.

'Relax' she said with a grin 'it wasn't that bad, it was funny more than anything' she explained. 'You tried to undress me a few times, but you were all fingers and thumbs…' her eyes widened as she realised what she'd said and then she started to laugh, Joey joined her. 'I'm sorry that was really tasteless' she shook her head.

'It's okay' Joey said wiping his eyes as he tried to stop laughing. 'So what else did I say?'

'You had a hard on but you kept calling it a stiffy and I scolded you and told you to stay in bed and you said I sounded like your mum and that I'd made your stiffy go away…then later when I rebuffed your advances again you told me that I was going to be sorry because you were keeping your cock to yourself and that you'd have as much cock as you liked'

Joey's eyes widened in surprise and he started laughing again. 'I said that?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head 'that sounded kind of gay' he told her and she just laughed harder.

 **AN**


	159. Chapter 159

**One Hundred and Fifty-nine**

Three days passed and Joey's pain started to subside slightly. He had a dressing change at the hospital and was advised the wounds were healing nicely and he would have full use of both finger and thumb. A new dressing was put on his finger and thumb and a plastic sleeve on each to keep the dressing clean. Lauren was thrilled with the news and wanted to go out to celebrate, but Joey had other ideas. He wanted to go home and celebrate in a completely different way.

'Joey, I'm not sure this is a good idea' Lauren told him as he led her by the hand into the bedroom. 'I'm not saying that I don't want to…I do…it's just...' she trailed off.

'It's my hand that is hurt, Lauren not my dick, I'm pretty certain having sex isn't going to hurt my hand...now will you just take your damned clothes off and get on the bed!'

Lauren blinked at him and put her hands on her hips 'well, aren't you filled with sweets words of seduction and romance today' she told him, 'and yet I seem to find it so easy to resist your carefully planned and thought out seduction technique' she told him matter-of-factly 'I'm afraid you're just going to have reacquaint yourself with your hand, because that's as close to sex as you're going to get' she told him and she pushed passed him and left the bedroom. Joey groaned and sat down on the bed, laying back on it with his hands over his eyes not believing he was such an idiot…again

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

A few moments later, Joey walked through the lounge and into the kitchen lounge, finding Lauren busy making a sandwich.

'Sorry' Joey said to her softly. 'I guess the romance has officially gone out of our relationship' he told her.

Lauren looked up at him 'Probably because all the blood that would normally be in your head has rushed to another part of your anatomy' she replied, glancing down at his groin.

'I know, not that it's going to be put to any use now' he said with a sigh 'I'm a lousy boyfriend'

'You'll not find me disagreeing with that statement at this point in time' she replied dryly as she reached for a tomato and started to cut it.

'Are you making one of those for me?' he asked her, she gave him a look and he nodded his head 'I didn't think so' he sighed. He watched as Lauren finished making her lunch, grabbed her plate and glass of orange juice and carried them into the lounge. Well, this day wasn't turning out the way he'd planned. Now he needed to figure out a way to turn it around he thought to himself as he started to carefully make himself some lunch.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After the two of them had eaten, Lauren announced she was going to go lie down for a bit. Joey nodded his head watching her go. He glanced down at his hand, gone was the oversized bandage, and in its place was a skin coloured plaster like dressing. He moved his thumb and felt a stinging pain instead of the throbbing pain he'd had before. He didn't want to tell Lauren but he was terrified he was going to lose his thumb. In fact that's what he'd thought on the way to the hospital and was relieved when he was told it was mostly just tissue damage and a clean cut. He let his hand go and he sighed, he was bored. He glanced down the hall, wondering if Lauren was asleep yet. If she was asleep he wondered how annoyed she'd be with him if he woke her up so they could have sex…yes he realised this move lacked romance, but it was a step up from earlier…right? Wrong! He groaned and flopped back against the back of the sofa. He needed to do something to take his mind off the fact he was horny, he knew he couldn't go to the bar, because Brett would pretty much kick him out as soon as he stepped foot over the threshold, there wasn't anything to do at the house because Lauren had taken care of everything whilst he'd been unable to use his hand. Even Popoki was nowhere to be seen, no doubt she was on the bed with Lauren, fast asleep. He closed his eyes and rested his hands on his thighs, unaware that he'd started to rub his hands up and down. He thought about Lauren. Naked Lauren. Naked Lauren ,wet from the shower, naked Lauren on her hands and knees, naked Lauren with her mouth wrapped around his cock. He felt himself growing hard and he groaned. He slid down on the sofa slightly and undid his jeans and slid his unhurt hand inside. He groaned softly as his hand ran over his growing length. He clenched his bottom lip between his teeth as his hand moved underneath the waistband of his boxer shorts and he grasped himself firmly and he slowly began to stroke himself. In his mind's eye he was thinking about Lauren, he was concentrating so much that he didn't hear anyone come into the room.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren was jolted awake as she heard a very unmanly scream come from the lounge. She threw off the covers and raced through to the lounge, she saw Joey in a state of undress and Popoki standing a few feet away from Joey, she was all puffed up and was hissing and snarling at him.

'Joey? What the fuck?' she frowned as she looked at him, he opened his eyes and looked at her, she could see he had tears in his eyes. Lauren walked over to Popoki and scooped her up, cuddling her to her chest 'it's okay baby' she murmured, pressing a kiss to the cat's furry head 'Joey's just a big meanie' she said as she carried the cat into the bedroom. Joey heard the door shut and he closed his eyes and leant back against the sofa.

'Please tell me you weren't doing what it looked like you were doing with the cat' Lauren said to him, she had her arms folded across her chest as she stared at her fiancée.

'Of course not!' he hissed at her. 'She interrupted me…surprised me' he said and he looked down at himself. I'm bleeding here!' he told her 'Can you help me or something?' he looked at her pleadingly. Her eyes dropped to his thigh and she saw four distinct claw marks. She rolled her eyes and went through to the kitchen and got the first aid kit out from under the sink and tossed to him. He caught it with his left hand, dropping the box instantly as an intense pain shot through his thumb and finger, he cursed loudly. 'You could have caught it with your other hand' she said to him, 'you can let it go it's not going to fall off' she smirked.

'She caught it with her claws too' Joey said to her through gritted teeth. Lauren frowned and moved closer to him, sitting next to him on the sofa ' .LAUGH…. . ' he hissed at her. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing, she reached for the first aid box and opened it.

'You're lucky you had a tetanus shot when you hurt your hand' she told him as she reached for some antiseptic and a piece of gauze. She liberally covered the gauze with the antiseptic and applied to the scratches on his cock. His scream of pain and surprise almost burst her eardrums, she was fairly certain the neighbours would've heard his scream too.

'JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, LAUREN!' he breathed angrily, tears were rolling down his face.

'It needs to be cleaned…big baby' she mumbled under her breath.

'You could've warned me' he hissed at her.

'I could've' she replied nodding her head 'you could've also chosen not to wank off in front of the cat. That's pretty icky Joey!'

'I wasn't….she wasn't even in the room when I started… she appeared out of nowhere. I swear that cat has a stealth mode' he frowned. He cursed again when Lauren cleaned the scratches on his thigh. 'I swear you're fucking enjoying this' he narrowed his eyes at her.

'Yes, I'm enjoying applying first aid to my fiancée's cock because he got a little frisky with the cat'

'I DID NOT GET FRISKY WITH THE CAT!' he roared angrily. 'SHE ATTACKED MY COCK!'

'You might want to yell that a little louder Joey, I'm not sure all the neighbours heard you' she grinned at him.

'It's not fucking funny, Lauren' he glared at her.

'There' she said 'all done' she said as she finished rubbing Savlon into his thigh…'I think we'll skip putting this on there' she gestured to his cock with her hand. 'Okay, put yourself way now' she told him, gathering up the first aid supplied and putting them back in the box.

She sniggered as she took the box back into the kitchen and washed her hands. She heard Joey moaning as he tucked himself back in his jeans and zipped them up.

 **AN:**


	160. Chapter 160

**One Hundred and sixty**

That night when the two of them went to bed, Popoki gave Joey a wide berth. She jumped up on the bed and settled as close to Lauren as she could without falling off the edge of the bed. Joey could hear her purring away as Lauren's fingers brushed through her fur. Joey rolled onto his side, facing away from Lauren. He was the one who'd been injured yet the fucking cat was getting all the attention, he frowned to himself. It just wasn't fair. When Lauren first moved in, Popoki hated her but now, well now the two of them were pretty much attached at the hip…and the cat's purring was getting louder and louder. 'Oh my god!' he grumbled.

Lauren frowned, turning her head to look at him 'what's the matter' she asked him. Joey didn't reply, he simply got out of bed, taking his pillow with him. Lauren frowned and after a few minutes she followed him. She found Joey settled on the sofa. His hands behind his head and the blanket from the back of the sofa draped over him. 'Joey?' she whispered softly, sitting down on the coffee table. 'Are you sleeping out here?'

'Looks like it' he replied 'fucking cat's going to keep me awake all night with her tractor like purring' he grumbled.

Lauren blinked at him 'don't be ridiculous, come back to bed' she told him softly.

'I'm fine here' he replied.

'Seriously? You're sleeping out here because the cat purrs?' she asked him with a frown 'that's really silly, Joey'

'Then I'm silly' he told her 'do you mind I'm trying to sleep' he said with a sigh. Lauren blinked and got up and walked back through to the bedroom, Joey sighed again and he rolled onto his side, leaning against the back of the sofa. A few minutes later, Lauren came back with another pillow and a duvet. Joey watched as she put the pillow down next to his and then draped the duvet over him, 'thanks' he said softly. He expected Lauren to go back to the bedroom but he was surprised when she crawled under the duvet with him, snuggling up against him. 'What are you doing?' he asked her.

'I want to sleep with you' she said softly.

'The sofa's not big enough for both of us' he replied with a frown.

'Well it's going to have to be, isn't it' she told him, kissing his jaw softly.

'This is silly, babe, go back to bed' he told her.

'Nope, I want to be where you are' she replied.

'So we're cramped up on this sofa and the cat has the large double bed to herself?' he asked her.

'Seems that way' she nodded her head. She smiled, kissing his jaw again and nuzzling her nose into his neck. 'Besides, this is cosy' she murmured softly, she slid one hand into the hair on the back of his head, running her fingers through it softly as she placed kisses over his neck.

'Well, I can see why the cat was purring' he said drily.

Lauren blinked, 'are you jealous of the cat?' she asked him, pulling back to look at him.

'No' he said in a small voice.

Lauren giggled 'you're so jealous of the cat'

Joey pouted, 'she gets more attention than I do' he said to her, half seriously. 'I'm the one who is injured and in pain and she gets all the affection and attention'

'Aw, my poor baby' Lauren whispered softly 'are you feeling neglected?' she asked him, sticking out her bottom lip as she looked at him.

'Now you're making fun of me' he said, turning his face away from her as he tried not to let her see him smile.

'She's just a little cat' Lauren said to him 'she's cute and adorable'

'There was a time when you thought I was cute and adorable' Joey replied.

'Oh My God! You are so ridiculous right now' Lauren exclaimed. She rolled onto he back, forgetting she was on the sofa, Joey grabbed her, his hand settling on her waist to stop her from falling.

'Careful' he whispered into the dark, pulling her closer to him.

'We'd have more room if we went back to bed' she replied softly.

'I thought you said this was cosy' he said to her 'Intimate?'

'It is, not that intimacy is going to be something we can do tonight…not after your recent injury' she said 'does it hurt?' she asked him.

'Only when I touch it' Joey said.

Lauren nodded her head and she moved forward and kissed him softly, sliding her tongue into his mouth 'what about when I touch it?' she whispered, sliding one hand down to caress his cock, she felt him stiffen and she pulled her hand away.

'Yeah, it hurts when you touch it too' he murmured

'I'm sorry babe' Lauren whispered, moving forward to kiss him again 'in a few days I'm sure it'll feel better and be ready for action' she licked her lips 'I love you'

'I love you too, Lauren' he said, hugging her close to him. They were both silent for a while before Joey spoke again 'do you love me more than the cat?' he asked her in a small voice.

Lauren pulled back to look at him and she kissed him, a long deep passionate kiss, that left them both breathless and wanting more. 'Does that answer your question?' she asked him.

'Well I've never seen you kiss the cat like that' he grinned at her. 'More please'.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Joey woke up the next morning, Lauren was wrapped in his arms, her face pressed into the crook of his neck, he smiled, they hadn't slept like that for a while. He missed the closeness the two of them had and now it looked as though they were getting it back. He shifted slightly and heard a little meep, he turned and saw Popoki was settled on the sofa, nestled on their legs. He rolled his eyes and moved one of his hands and stroked her. 'Hey you' he whispered softly. 'Do you want some breakfast, hey?' he asked her, she meowed at him and then started to purr.

 **AN**


	161. Chapter 161

**One hundred and Sixtyone**

Three days later, Lauren left Joey to go to the local shop to get some basic essentials they'd run out of, when she returned she discovered Joey in the same position he was in when the cat attacked him. 'I thought you learned that lesson already?' she asked him as she shut the door 'good job I'm alone too, hey?' she asked him.

'I was just checking to see if it's healed?' he replied as Lauren went into the kitchen to put the newly brought supplies in the fridge.

'And is it?' she called out. She didn't hear Joey come into the room, she closed the fridge door and he was right there.

'As a matter of fact it is' he told her.

'Is that right?' Lauren smiled as Joey took the carrier bag from her and tossed it on the side. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closed to him.

'Mmhmm' he nodded his head with a smirk, 'it is' he told her, lowering his lips to hers to kiss her softly. 'In fact, I think we should go try things out' he said.

'Try what out?' Lauren asked him innocently.

'You know what' he replied in a husky voice. He turned her and walked her backwards and then he bent down and swept her legs out from under her and lifted her from the ground and carried her through to the bedroom, he kicked the bedroom door shut with his foot.

'Joey! It's the middle of the day!' Lauren exclaimed, pretending to be shocked as he lay her down on the bed and moved over her.

'Stop talking' he murmured against her lips 'and start stripping'

'Isn't that your gig?' she asked him with a smirk.

Joey pulled back and sat on his heels, pulling his t-shirt up over his head in one swift movement.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey groaned as Lauren lowered herself onto his throbbing length, he screwed his eyes tightly shut and she froze. 'Are you okay?' she asked him in concern, worried she was hurting him. She leant forward, placing her hands on his chest. A few moments later he opened his eyes and looked at her.

'You feel so good' he told her softly, grabbing her hips he pulled himself forward to sit up. He sank deeper inside her and she gasped. 'It's been a while' he whispered softly.

'I'm sorry I…'

'No…don't be sorry, you are definitely worth the wait' he smiled at her, 'come here, sexy girl' he said tilting his face up to hers for a kiss.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren smiled as Joey's fingers ran through her hair, watching as it dropped through his fingers tips to tickle his chest. 'You know, we should probably get up' she said to him softly.

'Why?' he asked her 'is there something we need to be doing?'

No, but we can't stay in bed all day' she replied.

'Why not? We used to when we were in Hawaii' he said to her.

'We're not in Hawaii now, we're in London'

Joey smiled 'not in my mind. In my mind we're in the hut on the island. The bar is closed, and the sun is out and it's hot. It's a hot day. Too hot to be working or even be outside.' he said to her 'and we've decided to spend the day in bed. We spend the day in bed, just talking, getting to know each other' he told her 'the ceiling fan is turning and it's giving us a little bit of a breeze, not a lot but just enough. Do you remember?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled as she remembered. 'I do' she said and she shifted in the bed so she was lying on her front, looking down at him 'we talked, we ate food, we took naps and we…'

'Made love' he finished for her.

She smiled and nodded her head 'that was one of the best days of my honeymoon' she admitted to him.

Joey grinned back at her 'Mine too...of your honeymoon. So, it's settled then?' he asked her 'lazy day in bed?'

'I think we've been rather energetic' Lauren said with a smile. Joey laughed in agreement, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

'All right then, an energetic day in bed' he said.

'You have a deal' Lauren said, lifting her head off his chest and reaching up to kiss him.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey ventured out of the bedroom to make them some lunch, when they'd finished eating he gathered up the plates and took them through to the kitchen, returning with a couple of bottles of water and some biscuits. 'I thought this could tide us over until dinner' he told her.

Lauren giggled as Joey climbed into the bed, 'well we do need to keep our strength up' she replied.

'Exactly' Joey nodded his head, 'we have a very busy afternoon ahead of us' he grinned as he moved over her, pulling the duvet away to expose her breasts to his gaze, before he took a peak into his mouth.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later in the afternoon they were lying in bed, neither of them really talking, both of them content to enjoy the other's company, Lauren sighed and she rolled over in the bed, Joey's arm automatically moved round her, tucking her close to his side. 'Do you still want to marry me? Lauren asked him. Joey cracked open an eye to look at her.

'I thought we'd already covered this' he said to her. 'Of course I want to marry you, you're wearing the engagement ring I gave you, aren't you?'

'Yes' she nodded her head. 'I just wanted to check that's all' she said softly.

'You think I'm going to change my mind?' he raised his eyebrows questioningly and opened the other eye to gaze into her eyes 'I'm never going to change my mind about you, about us' he told her seriously 'You're my everything, babe' he said softly, Lauren smiled and Joey moved forward and kissed her tenderly.

'You're my everything too, Joey' she replied in a whisper.

 **AN**


	162. Chapter 162

**One Hundred and Sixty-two**

After a couple of weeks, Joey's hand had healed enough that he wasn't in constant pain whenever he used or moved it. He and Lauren had decided to go to the bar and check out the progress that had been made whilst they hadn't been there. Lauren was anxious to see what had been completed and what hadn't. She hadn't been back to the bar since before Joey had the accident. Joey sensed her nervousness as they drove towards the bar and he reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed gently 'relax babe' he told her 'Brett wouldn't have strayed from your design' he reassured her. Lauren looked at him and gave him a small smile.

'I'm just worried the designs won't be what you're expecting' she told him.

'Are you kidding me? So far they've been pretty much spot on to the vision I have in my head' he told her 'I know for a face they are going to be great and the bar is going to look exactly how we want it to' he told her confidently as he pulled in the car park. He turned off the engine and Lauren climbed out of the car and walked to the door of the bar, waiting for him. The door was locked and Joey reached into his pocket for the keys. 'Are you ready to see?' he asked her. Lauren nodded her head and stepped aside to give Joey access to the door. He put the key in the lock and turned it, they heard the door unlock and he pushed it open. 'Ladies first' he said with a smile. Lauren slipped her hand into his and she tugged gently, and the two of them entered the bar, Lauren held her breath as they walked into the bar, the first room they came to was the office, Joey opened and pushed the door open, both of them looked around the room, the floor had been laid and the walls had been painted. The floor was wood, a dark mahogany and the walls were a rich beige colour. In one of the walls was a large safe, where they would keep the takings in. All the room was lacking was furniture. Joey smiled, the room was decorated in exactly the way Lauren had designed it to be and it looked great, so much so that he could even picture the furniture there, a large wooden desk, the laptop, a phone, filing cabinets along one wall. Another wall would have another desk against it where a coffee machine would sit. Right next to the sink that had been plumbed in. He glanced at Lauren and she could see that it was the same as her design and he knew she could picture the room with all the furnishings in too. 'Let's take a look at the rest of the bar' he said to her. She looked at him and nodded her head.

Joey led them into the bar area and they both stopped walking, Lauren's breath caught in her throat. The boys had obviously spent most of their time concentrating on this part. The wooden bar was in place, she'd deviated from the original plan of having a straight bar and instead decided on a curved bar, a large semi-circle. It gave them more room behind the bar, without losing too much space in the main room, the boys had fitted the shelving and the optics behind the bar and in the centre was her mural. 'Wow' Lauren whispered softly. 'It looks incredible' she gasped.

Joey nodded his head 'It really does' he said, with no hint of surprise in his voice, 'you have a great eye, babe' he told her, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side, kissing the top of her head. He let he go and walked to the bar Lauren watched as he placed his hand on the bar and walked the length of it before stepping behind it. He smiled at her as his eyes met hers, he raised his hand and gestured for her to come over. She smiled and followed the path he took and joined him behind the bar. 'It's pretty spacious behind here' he said to her.

'That was the design, the way you wanted it' she replied.

Joey nodded, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. 'I know' he said 'for a very good reason too' he told her biting his bottom lip as his hands moved up her back to her shoulders and higher still to cup her face 'a very good reason' he said to her 'something I always wanted to be able to do at the bar in Hawaii but never could' he told her.

'And what was that?' Lauren asked him softly, already having a pretty good idea of what he was talking about.

'Well…it's not really something I can tell you, it's more of something that I need to show you' he replied, his lips millimetres from hers.

'So show me' she whispered.

'I intend to' Joey replied before his lips captured hers in a searing kiss.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Brett was surprised to see Joey's car parked outside. He wasn't surprised to find the bar open and he walked inside, followed by Scott and a couple of the other boys, he peered into the office to see if Joey was there, having a look at the work they'd done. He frowned when he stepped into the bar and there was no one there either. He sent Scott to check the bathrooms, and he returned shaking his head. He wondered where Joey was, it wasn't like him to just leave the bar unlocked like that. 'Hello?' he called out.

He heard a noise behind the bar and a few moments later, Joey's head appeared 'All right?' Joey nodded his head at him.

'What are doing behind there?' Brett asked with a frown. A few seconds later, Lauren's head popped up, her face was flushed and her hair was messed up.

'That would be me' she replied with a grin.

Brett looked at them both and he nodded his head. 'Okay, how about we go get some breakfast before we start work?' he looked at the boys who were all grinning, they nodded their heads.

'We'll be 15 minutes' Brett told them both.

'Make it 20' Joey replied as Lauren pulled him back down behind the bar, he heard the sound of Joey being slapped. 'OW! Make it half an hour' he called back and Lauren giggled.

Brett shook his head as he walked out of the bar, making sure he locked the door behind them, giving Lauren and Joey privacy should anyone else turn up.

 **AN**


	163. Chapter 163

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three**

Lauren giggled as Joey zipped up his jeans 'see?' he asked her 'plenty of room for a little after hours fun' he told her.

'So I see, you demonstrated that quite well' she replied with a smile as she straightened her clothes and stood up. 'But I did notice something that I'm not happy with when we were down there' she said.

Joey frowned 'What? That was perfect…I was at the top of my game…' Lauren glanced at him.

'Not the sex' she said rolling her eyes at him as he shrugged his t-shirt back on 'the sex was perfect' she agreed with him 'I have no complaints in that department'

Joey grinned 'well that's good to hear' he said with a smile. 'So what aren't you happy about?' he asked her.

'The ceiling' she said tilting her up so she could look. Joey blinked and looked up.

'What's wrong with the ceiling?' he asked her, not being able to see the flaw that she quite clearly did. 'Wait! Were you looking at the ceiling when we were….?'

'Will you just look!' she exclaimed. Joey sighed and looked upwards again.

'What am I looking for?' he asked her.

'The lights' she said.

'What about the lights?' he asked her.

'They're not in line' she sighed 'look at them…they're all out of line with the first light'

Joey frowned, he still couldn't see it 'We'll get on it' he told her.

Lauren turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes at him 'how can you "get on it" when you don't even see it?' she asked him.

He sighed 'all right I don't see it, but you do, so I'll look at the plans, work out the measurements and I'll get it fixed okay?' he promised her.

Lauren beamed at him, sliding her arms around his neck 'my hero' she murmured as she pressed her lips against his.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later, Lauren had gone home to get the catalogues for the furniture, leaving Joey at the bar with the boys. Brett grinned at him 'so you and Lauren look as though things are back on track' he said to him.

'Yeah, they are' he said with smile 'we talked, agreed that I'm a dick and we moved on' he said with a shrug. Brett laughed and shook his head.

'She's too good for you, man' he said.

Joey looked at him seriously and nodded his head. 'I know' he replied 'She really is' he licked his lips.

'Good job she's completely in love with you then, hey?' Brett nudged his shoulder.

'Yeah it is' Joey sighed. He looked up at the lights above the bar 'okay, so Lauren says these are out of line' he told him. Brett looked up and frowned.

'Really?' Brett frowned.

'I said we'd fix it' Joey said 'or rather you would, cause well you know' he held up his hand 'still injured' he grinned.

'Thanks mate' Brett sighed.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren made it back to the bar at lunch time, she walked in with a brown paper bag. She smiled when Joey turned to look at her. 'Miss me?' she asked him.

'You know I did' he replied as she walked over to him and kissed him.

'I made you lunch' she told him, putting the bag on the bar next to him 'thought you might be hungry'

'I'm starved, been working my ass off sitting here and given orders all morning' he grinned at her 'so what have you been doing while I've been so busy?' he asked her.

'I told you I was going to look at the furniture again' she said to him. 'I brought some catalogues we can look through' she said to him 'we don't have to make a decision straight away but we're almost ready to kit out the place so we need to make some choices'

'I know' he nodded his head 'it's pretty exciting' he admitted to her. 'Oh…the bathrooms are finished. We should take a look' he told her.

'Already?' she sounded surprised.

'The boys have worked really hard' he told her. 'Let's go take a look'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After the boys finished work at the bar that night, they decided to go to Brett's house for an impromptu party. Lauren and Joey went home to change and to feed Popoki before heading to Brett's. They chose to take a cab instead of either of them driving. Lauren smiled as Joey wrapped his arms around her waist as the stood outside the front door. 'Do you remember the first time I brought you here to a party?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled, nodding her head 'I hated every second of it' she admitted to him. 'I felt underdressed and the girls hated me…except for Amanda…'

'The other girls were jealous of you' he replied 'and you were not underdressed' he said with a smile 'you looked gorgeous, just like you do tonight' he told her with a smile. 'And I am not going to abandon you all night this time either'

'That's good to hear' she said

'And you know what else?' he asked her.

'What?' she looked at him questioningly. He smiled and moved forward and whispered in her ear. She blushed and giggled.

'I'm going to hold you to that Mister' she replied as he took her hand and opened the door, leading her inside.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey watched as Lauren mingled with his friends…correction, their friends. He smiled seeing how at ease with them all she seemed Such an improvement on the first time she came to one of their parties. He was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, a drink in his hand. She had the boys laughing at something she'd said and then she blushed bright red as one of them told her a rude joke, she slapped one of them and it made them laugh all the more harder.

Lauren turned and caught Joey's eye and she smiled, excusing herself from the group and walking over to him, 'hey' she said softly.

'Hey' he replied 'you look like you're having fun this time' he said.

Lauren nodded her head 'I am' she replied 'are you?' she asked him.

'I'm watching you have fun' he told her 'do you want a drink?'

'Actually I was thinking maybe we could head home?' she looked up at him expectantly. 'You have a promise to keep'

'A girl after my own heart' he said smiling 'we should say goodbye to everyone' he told her, taking a mouthful of his drink and setting it down on the shelf next to him. Lauren slipped her hand in his and they walked back to the group.

 **AN: So sorry for the long delay. Work has been hectic and I've been burning the candle both ends and I have been shattered.! Here's another few chapters to make up for things! Hope you enjoy.**


	164. Chapter 165

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-four**

Joey's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Lauren was doing her best to tease him in the car on the way home from Brett's. She was currently rubbing his thigh softly, occasionally her fingers would brush against the head of his cock and he would groan softly as he felt his cock begin to stiffen. Of course, Lauren was fully aware of what she was doing, judging by the smug smile on her face. He shifted in his seat again. 'Babe, please…you're killing me here' he scowled at her as he pulled up at some red traffic lights. He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers before depositing it back on her own lap. She shifted forward in her seat and a few moments later her knickers landed on the dashboard in front of him. He closed his eyes briefly and then snatched them off the dashboard. 'You are in so much trouble when we get home' he warned her.

'I can't help feeling horny' she whined 'especially when all I've been thinking about all night are the things you whispered in my ear that you were going to do to me when we got home'

'Things I still plan to do' he promised her shifting once more in his seat as his erection became even more uncomfortable. 'He reached across the seat and opened the glovebox, stuffing her knickers inside and slamming the door shut. She caught hold on his hand and placed it on her thigh, pushing it up higher, opening her legs wider as his fingers brushed across her damp curls. He could feel how wet she was and he groaned again. She was playing dirty. A car horn made him jump and alerted him to the fact that the lights were red, he pulled his fingers away from her and pulled away from the lights. A soft moan came from Lauren and he glanced over at her. Her head was thrown back in her seat and she was worrying her bottom lip with the teeth, his eyes travelled lower and he was shocked to see her right hand had disappeared under her skirt. She gave another moan. 'I'm so wet for you, baby' she murmured. Joey forced his gaze away from her and concentrated hard on the road ahead of him, his feet pressing down a little harder on the accelerator in his eagerness to get home.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was out of the car before Joey had even stopped the engine. He saw her blow a kiss at him and wave at him, but not before mooning him and then disappearing into the house, shutting the door behind her. He shook his head with a smile, his girl was in huge trouble. He locked up the car, dropping the keys twice before he got inside the house. He tripped over something as soon as he stepped into the house and he saw Lauren's shoes lying there, discarded. He pushed the door closed behind him, locking the door with a flick of his wrist before he made his way slowly to the bedroom. Halfway down the hallway, he found Lauren's dress and then her finally her bra, which was hanging off the door handle, which only meant one thing. Lauren was naked. He grinned as he pushed open the bedroom door. Lauren was laying on the bed, wearing nothing but a smile and his cowboy hat. The rest of his outfit was on the foot of the bed. He smile grew wider.

'Oh, you think this is going to get you out of trouble?' he asked her, closing the bedroom door.

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head with a smile. Joey laughed and shook his head.

'Oh no baby, this is not going to get you out of trouble. You are in a whole heap of trouble' he told her. 'You know why you're in trouble don't you?' he asked her as he stalked to the bed, undoing the buttons on his shirt slowly. Lauren shook her head, watching his fingers as they travelled from button to button, stopping when he reached the last one and he moved his hands to the button on his jeans. When he stopped Lauren looked up at him with a small frown on her face. 'Uh-uh you don't get to see my goodies' he told her, shaking his head 'not when you've been such a bad girl' he told her, pointing his finger at her, 'I think someone needs to have some discipline' Lauren's eyes widened at his words.

'You wouldn't dare!' she exclaimed.

'You think it's okay to tease me the way you did in the car?' he asked her. 'I could have crashed the car or caused an accident' he told her as he walked to the wardrobe and opened the door. 'Baby you're about to get a taste of your own medicine' he told her.

'No…Joey, I don't want to be teased…' she whined

'And I did?' he asked her 'while I was driving?' he asked her. 'I think you've picked the wrong outfit for tonight' he said to her as he reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a hat and placed it on his head, he reached into it again and she heard something rattle. He turned around and tucked whatever he'd got in his hands into his back pocket. Lauren looked at the hat he was wearing on his head and she licked her lips. Tonight she wasn't going to get cowboy Joey. Tonight she was going to get policeman Joey.

He stalked over to the bed and climbed on it, moving over her 'Give me your hands, baby'

'No! Joey please!' she begged him.

'Hands now' he told her. She sighed and held her hands out in front of her 'grab hold of the headboard' he instructed her. She did what he asked and he reached into his back pocket and produced a pair of handcuffs and secured them around her wrists, threading the cuffs through the headboard. 'You ready to be teased babe?' he asked her.

'No' she pouted.

'Too bad' he said, lowering his head and kissing her shoulder.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

An hour later and Lauren was truly regretting her behaviour in the car on the way home. Joey had kissed, licked and nibbled every inch of her body…well except the places she really wanted him to, those places he avoided like the plague. She was aching for release in more ways than one, she thought to herself as she looked up at the headboard, where her hands were still secured by handcuffs. Joey had stripped off his shirt, but still had his jeans on and every now and again the rough fabric of his jeans would brush against the sensitive parts of her body teasingly, taking her to the brink of almost climaxing and then he'd stop and her orgasm faded away into the distance once more.

'Joey…please, I'm sorry…please I need you' she pleaded with him, not for the first time. Joey looked at her, her face was flushed, her nipples were firm and erect, begging to be licked and touched, he lowered his gaze and stared between her legs, he could see how wet she was, how ready for him she was. He was dying to be inside her, but first he needed to have a little taste. He groaned as he tasted her musky sweetness, she was so turned on right now, he knew he only had to do a little and she would go off like a rocket and he wanted to be inside her when that happened. He slipped one finger inside her and her walls clamped around him hungrily. He lapped at her juices, careful to not touch her clit, and when he heard her panting and moaning loudly, he stopped his administrations and pressed a kiss to the inside of each thigh. Her eyes snapped open in disbelief as she felt him climb off the bed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the handcuffs and he undid them. Her arms dropped to the pillows and she looked at him expectantly. He slowly stripped off his jeans and boxers, until he too was naked. His erection jutted out proudly from between his legs and Lauren swallowed, unable to look away from it in all its glory. He painstaking crawled up her body until she had to look up into his eyes, feeling his erection pressing between her legs, he bent his head and kissed her softly, pushing his tongue into her mouth, her hands moved to his back. She held onto him tightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist, clasping him within her thighs.

'You better hold on tight, baby' he murmured against her lips as he tilted his hips and thrust inside her. He could feel how responsive and wet she was. He knew it wouldn't be long before she came. He thrust inside her four more times and she screamed out.

'OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH MMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYY GGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOODDDDDD, JJJJJJJJJJJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYY!' she cried out as her long sought after climax raced through her. Joey moved slowly as he worked her through her orgasm, when he felt her body relax and her breathing becoming slower and shallower. He started to increase his pace again and Lauren looked up at him in surprise.

'You didn't come?' she asked him, Joey shook his head.

'Oh babe, I'm nowhere near finished with you yet' he told her with a grin, he bent his head, taking her nipple into his mouth and began to move his hips again. Lauren's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she felt all her nerve endings firing up again. This was going to be a long night.


	165. Chapter 166

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Five**

Lauren knocked on the door of number 5 Albert Square and waited. A few moments later Max opened the door, smiling in surprise when he saw Lauren. 'What are you doing here?' he asked her as she stepped into the house, 'not that I'm not pleased to see you' he said as they hugged.

'Well, I spoke to mum this morning and she told me you were taking a rare day off so I thought that maybe you and I could spend the day together' she said to him 'like we used to when you played hooky'

'I'm not playing hooky' he said to leading her into the lounge.

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head as she sat down on the sofa 'so what is it? Are the big boys in the garage picking on you? Do you want me to go sort them out for you?' she teased him.

'Oi! Cheeky!' Max laughed 'I work bloody hard I'll have you know, once in a while I'm entitled to a day off' he said 'and it just so happens that today is one of those days' he told her.

'And you didn't call me?' she asked him with a frown 'we always played hooky together' she reminded him.

'So where are you supposed to be right now?' he asked her.

'Whereever I want to be' she replied as Max sat down beside her.

'And where does Joey think you are?'

'Trying on wedding dresses' she replied.

'And you're not doing that because…?' Max asked her.

'You really have forgotten the concept of playing hooky haven't you, dad' she frowned at him. Max laughed.

'All right, so what are our plans for today then?' he asked her.

Lauren grinned at him 'well, it's funny you should ask me that because there's something I want you to look at for me and then this afternoon I thought we could watch some DVD's, eat sweets and junk food, drink beer…'

'Sounds like a plan' Max said, pleased Lauren had shown up. 'So this thing you want me to look at?' he asked her. Lauren reached into her bag and pulled out her laptop.

'I need you opinion on wedding dresses, daddy' she said with a small smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Max was surprised and overwhelmed that Lauren wanted him to look at wedding dresses with her. He knew her mother had wanted to help her choose the dress she wore for her wedding to Stuart, but Lauren didn't want any help. Both parents now knew this was because Lauren's heart wasn't set on marrying Stuart and she'd chosen a dress she knew he would like her to wear, rather than a dress that made her feel beautiful and special. Now, Lauren was showing Max pictures of dresses she had seen and liked and was asking his opinion of them. She explained that Joey said he didn't care if she turned up to the church in a burlap sack, he would still think she was beautiful. He'd told her that he wanted her to have the dress she wanted to have, one that she felt like a princess in. Lucy was trying to get her to wear a large poofy ball gown wedding dress and Lauren detested the idea with a passion. But some of the dresses she'd shown Max were definitely poofy. Max was even more thrilled when Lauren asked him to go with her when she tried the dresses on, to help her choose the right dress for her wedding to Joey. Max watched her face as she talked about the kind of dress she wanted, how she wanted Joey's reaction to be when he saw her in it, how she wanted the dress to make her feel when she wore it. She was so animated about this wedding, about Joey, that Max didn't understand why he hadn't seen before how Lauren was so unhappy with Stuart. It made him feel like he'd failed her as a father in some way. Of course when they drove to the church he'd realised how much Lauren didn't want to marry Stuart and he'd given her a "get of jail free card" and Lauren had grasped it with both hands and had flown off to Hawaii. There was where she met and fell in love in with Joey Matthews. He was her "forever man". Max smiled as he once again recalled that conversation with his daughter. There was a time when he never wanted his daughter to date, to have sex, get married, he'd wanted to keep her as his little princess forever. He was so proud of Lauren, she was the apple of his eye and she was a real daddy's girl. Abi was more of a mummy's girl, so when Lauren moved out of the house he missed the connection that he had with her. Not that he didn't love Abi, he did, and he was also very proud of her as well. She was a bright young girl, and he knew soon that he would lose her too to another man. He only hoped that Abi found a man like Joey, one who made her glow with happiness.

He smiled and reached forward kissing Lauren on the cheek. Lauren looked up at him in surprise, 'what was that for?' she asked him.

'What? Does a father need a reason to kiss his daughter now?' he asked her, a teasing tone to his voice. Lauren smile and shook her head.

'No, of course not' she told him.

'I've missed this…spending time with you, days like this' he told her honestly.

'Me too' Lauren replied softly.

'Pretty soon, you'll be married and you won't want to hang out with your old man all that much anymore' he told her with a slight pout.

'Yes, I will' Lauren said 'I'll still need you no matter how old I am' she told her quietly. 'Joey may be the love of my life, but he's not my daddy' she told him. Max felt his eyes fill with tears at his daughter's words, then her eyes sparkled suddenly 'sometimes though he makes me call him daddy…' she said with a giggle.

'All right, that's enough you! Thank you for ruining a perfectly nice father and daughter moment' he told her laughing softly as his cheeks turned red.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Okay, so I will be back in fifteen minutes with supplies. You get the DVD player ready and the drinks' she instructed him.

'When did you get to be so bossy?' he asked her.

'Someone has to keep Joey in line' she grinned back at him. Max smiled as Lauren kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly before she descended the stairs.

'LAUREN! LOOK OUT!' Max yelled as he saw the car racing towards his daughter. He ran down the steps of the house as fast as he could, the one thing on his mind was to get to Lauren before the car did.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was crying with laughter as a result of a rather rude joke Scott had just told them all, the same joke that made Lauren blush the night before at the party. He could understand why she'd blushed so red now. The ringing of his phone on the bar cut into his laughter and he looked down at it and saw Lauren's number. He picked it up and moved away from the group before he answered it.

'Hey, babe' he said, laughter still in his voice.

'It's Max' her father's voice came over the phone.

'Max?' Joey frowned, wondering why he was calling on Lauren's phone. 'Is everything okay?' he asked him.

'There's been an accident on the square' Max told him softly 'I think you need to get here as soon as you can' he said.

'An accident? What kind of accident?' he said, Brett looked up at his friend, grabbing the keys to the car and Joey's jacket. Joey swallowed 'is Lauren okay?'

'Just hurry up and get here' Max said before ringing off.

 **AN**


End file.
